


Original Souls

by katydid001



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Dimension Travel, F/M, M/M, Mokuton, No Uchiha Massacre, Original Character(s), Research, Romance, Science, Self-Insert, Sexual Content, Soldiers, Soulmates, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2020-12-27 01:14:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 78,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21110261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katydid001/pseuds/katydid001
Summary: Two soulmates were torn apart by malevolent forces before they were even born. When a Kami intervenes they are able to reunite in a single dimension. Happily in love and together, they are suddenly offered an opportunity to go back in time to save the half a million lives lost to the 4th Shinobi War. Will they be strong enough to risk each other and save the world? Non-Mass, SI-OC





	1. Falling

Chapter 1 Beta'ed by: the incredible, prodigious and phenomenal:** CherryBerry12** (AN: if you like Karin you should def check out her page!) and **adrieunor**

Rated: M; violence, swearing and sex

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I speak Japanese. I promise that I don't use five dollar words the entire story, just the first couple of paragraphs.

Summary: Two soulmates were torn apart by malevolent forces before they were even born. When a kami intervenes they are able to reunite in a single dimension. Happily in love and together, they are suddenly offered an opportunity to go back in time to save the half a million lives lost to the 4th Shinobi War. Will they be strong enough to risk each other? Semi-SI OC, Non-Mass AU, Shisui x OC

AU: Non-mass

* * *

**Chapter 1: Falling**

* * *

**War** is ubiquitous. It occurs as easily as blood soaks deserts, grassy plains, and canopied forest floors. Only the dead have seen the end of war. Only the living bear the memory of its cost. The wheel of time in its constant revolution dips into the crimson pool of the drained life-force of men and women who die too young in the wake of war.

It can be said that in every universe there is a parallel. The Fourth Shinobi War claimed 40,000 shinobi lives and that of countless civilians. Yet on the wheel turns. The wars in the Middle East have claimed 500,000 total lives as of this writing. And on the wheel of time turns.

* * *

_ **10 Oct 71, Juubi Battleground, Fourth Shinobi War, Shisui Uchiha** _

The explosion was all around him, chakra shooting up from the roots of that kami-forsaken god-tree with the intensity of a thousand paper bombs. He and Itachi ran to the last location of Team Seven. In the distance they expected to see their mad ancestor, but instead saw a woman glaring menacingly as her white hair wrapped around Naruto and Sasuke. All he and Itachi could do was watch in horror while they moved closer as the ground opened beneath Team Seven inside of the crater.

They should help; they needed to move faster. Itachi was barely staying on his feet, his chest wracked with tremors and suppressed coughs. Shisui knew Itachi would surely die if he had to perform another jutsu. The month-long war had taken its toll on his body, and the disease normally kept at bay by Tsunade-sama would finally claim its victim. He himself was not in a much better position, chakra-depleted and concussed he would cause more harm than good if he interfered. He'd be no more than a fly, but damn them if they didn't at least try.

In the split second it took for the portal to open and swallow Team Seven whole, it vanished, almost as quickly as it had appeared. In the same instant Shisui saw the sky above them open with a second dimension, a woman fell from it with a scream. He didn't think; his body moved on its own, his heart recognizing who was falling before his brain had a chance to catch up.

* * *

_ **10 Oct 2019, Afghanistan, Post-9/11 Wars, Katya Miller** _

In the moments before an IED goes off there is silence. The point-man knows they fucked up. If ever there was an 'Oh-Shit' moment, that was it: the realization that it was not just a plastic bag, it was a pressure plate. The moment your eyes open from blinking, everything around you is consumed by flames and in this instant your subconscious prepares your nerve endings for the pain of metal shrapnel piercing your body.

She saw the fire and could almost hear the shrapnel whistling towards her when a force pushed her backwards. The next moment she was falling through the sky. A primal need to scream ripped through her as she plummeted to the ground. Spots danced before her eyes and the edges began to blacken from the lack of oxygen in freefall. She landed with a soft oomph and opened her eyes to the rough green fabric of a flak jacket. Looking up to find Shisui's face instead of her guardian angel or Saint Peter was jarring to say the least.

"Katya? How…how the hell are you here?!" Shisui asked as soon as he landed on the ground with a roll.

* * *

_ **Eight Years Earlier** _

"Come to me…" a soft feminine voice whispered through his dreams. He followed the sound as best he could and was led to a large wrought iron door. He hesitated, wondering if he dared to open it. Perhaps it was a genjutsu, after all. He flashed his sharingan just to be safe: no genjutsu. "Come to me…" the voice insisted. 'Might as well see what the dream-giver wants,' he thought sarcastically. He opened the door to a large forest. The trees were ancient and wild; they swayed in the breeze and cultivated chaotic rows of bright wildflowers amongst their roots. The sun shone through their boughs as morning birds sang to the melody of a nearby stream. For the first time since he was eight years old, he felt at peace.

He heard soft singing close to the stream. Following the source of the sound, he stood and hid in the boughs of an oak tree to watch as a teenaged girl no older than he was sang to the fish in the water. Even from a distance he could tell that she was petite. Light blonde hair fell to her shoulder blades in thick waves; her face was tan, but he could tell that she was naturally pale. She was making a chain of wildflowers that were piled on her blue skirt. The thing that struck him most was what she was singing. Over the babble of the creek he heard her sing, "I saw the devil today. He looked a lot like me. I looked away. I turned away…" Hearing such a dainty looking girl sing about looking like a devil made him chuckle.

Unfortunately, it also gave away his position and startled her. She jumped up and held tight to a small enameled pocket-knife, ready for any threat. Her hazel eyes narrowed as Shisui jumped down from his perch and approached her cautiously, his hands in the air.

"Yare yare, I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you. Um…jeez…" She backed away quickly as he moved forward, her flower chain trampled underfoot. He stopped his approach when he saw her trepidation and decided to try another tactic. "My name's Shisui Uchiha." She looked back at him, unimpressed with his introduction. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Yeah, sorry. Um. I'm fifteen. I like sweets, my best friend Itachi, and early morning runs. I don't like…snakes and coup d'états." He said it lightly, and she giggled at that, as he intended.

Lowering her pocket-knife, but not unfolding it she started, "My name is Katya Miller. I am also fifteen. I too like sweets, hmm…I also like music and math. I don't like…disloyalty or spiders." She shivered at the last bit and he smiled. "It's nice to meet you Shisui." She held out her hand and shook his. When she smiled and touched his hand, he swore to all the gods that he had met his soulmate.

"So, what is this place?" Shisui asked tentatively.

"Oh, this place? I don't really know but I've been calling it the dreamscape. I um…thought I was the only one in here. Usually I just fall asleep and the gate appears. Then when it's about time to wake up this place just kind of…fades away. You're the first one I've seen though…I wonder if you're part of my imagination too?"

"Uh no…I'm real. Maybe you're part of my imagination? You do look like my dream girl," Shisui said with a saucy wink.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Katya deadpanned back. "We should be able to figure this out through deductive reasoning. You do know what deductive reasoning is, right?" she asked sarcastically.

"Yeah sweetheart, I know what that is. Fine. I'll start then. You already know my name. We're the same age. Oh, what's your birthday? Mine is the 19th of October."

"Hm. No luck there, I was born in January."

"What, no date?"

"No, I don't want you to steal my identity. How do I know you aren't here for nefarious purposes?"

Shisui stammered, "Ne-Ne-Nefarious purposes? What the heck, sweetheart, I ended up here the same way as you!" Shisui's face turned red as she lowered her head to hide a grin.

"I'm messing with you, Shisui. Well, we've established that we're born on different days. Location, then perhaps? I live in the Ozarks, in the countryside. I was born at the Harrisonville Municipal Hospital. You?"

At this, Shisui started looking even more confused than he previously did. Where the heck was the Ozarks? "Well I was born in Konoha…I have no idea where the Ozarks are though."

"To be honest, I don't know where Konoha is or even what that is…oh, don't feel bad about not knowing where the Ozarks are. We're a fairly small area tucked away in the middle of the continent." As soon as Shisui started conjuring up images of a dry barren land in the belief that she was from Wind country she shattered his misconception. "It's truly beautiful in fall. I love the colors of the leaves on the trees. It's also when the bugs all die. They're kind of a nuisance. I love sitting in the oak tree on my grandfather's farm just to listen to the creek and watch the crawdads swim in the bank."

"Uh. The middle of the continent is a desert…"

"There are seven continents, dumbass. I would have thought you'd figure out that the Ozarks was in the middle of North America. Hmm…maybe you're not as smart as I thought you were."

"There's one continent, Katya." The sounds of birds in the trees answered him as they both sat on the edge of the creek, wondering how that would be possible.

The girl quickly jumped up, startling him from his seated position and started to pull him by his wrist. Noticing the determined look on her face, he gave minimal resistance and went along with her. The forest became dark and deep and the trees grew wilder. The sounds of any wildlife had ceased until they found themselves at the mouth of a cave. Katya looked nervous and reluctant to enter which instantly put Shisui on edge. Out of instinct he activated his sharingan and peered into the depths.

"Um…I've only entered once. It's terrifying to go in. The last time I went, it was like all my deepest fears had started pressing on me. But in the back of the cave, when I felt sure that I would never make it out to the other side, I found a place that showed what looked like another world…I don't know how best to explain it… But maybe this is the answer? Maybe…damn this sounds crazy… maybe we're from different worlds," she whispered the last part and stared at the mouth of the cave. 'I mean people in my world sure don't walk on walls or blow fire in others faces...well unless they're using a flame-thrower…' she thought to herself.

Shaking her head and squaring her shoulders she took one step towards the cave then turned to face her new friend. "I'll admit that being here scares me, but I will go if you do." She held out a hand to him and together they walked into the darkness.

As they walked through the dank caverns and passages, they saw their own fears preying on their mind. Shisui felt the loss of his childhood friend acutely and the blood of many lives and their spirits pressing in on him. He felt the weight of having to support his own parents and having no other option than to accomplish missions that he was much too young to handle.

Katya felt the sting of loneliness and betrayal, the emptiness of abandonment. She recalled the feeling of her father's death and her mother's descent into depression and addiction before she was placed in the care of her grandparents. She heard the shuffling of a thousand bodies and could only imagine that they were arachnid in nature as she began to cling tighter to Shisui's arm. In response, he pulled her in closer, in part to help assuage his own fears.

"It's close, just up ahead, Shisui…" she whispered in the dark. "Do you hear it?" He gave a barely perceptible nod in response.

"Come and see…a different world…a different realm…a different time…all souls are one…we are the old…" A voice carried in the air of the cave as they arrived at a wall that blurred at the edges, as though it were a deep vertical pool, opening and closing the view of different worlds. Shisui walked up and touched it briefly with one finger and a different world than that of his home appeared. He briefly heard Katya gasp in the background as the image became clearer. He saw an old rusty red building with paint chipping off the side. In front of that was a dirt patch and what appeared to be a hitching post, similar to those he'd seen on missions as a boy. The image switched to a two-story house with partially boarded windows and a dilapidated porch. In the background he could see livestock and a chicken coop that was in better repair than the buildings around it.

"That's my grandpa's farm…but…it should be nighttime right now…and that coop is a lot newer than the one we have." She traced her finger over the side of the house and the image rapidly switched, causing her to jump back in astonishment. In front of them were miles of forest. They saw Shisui himself standing in front of a small group of Kiri-nin while two men lay on the ground screaming. "Oh my God…why are they screaming?"

"This hasn't happened…" he began to pull the girl behind him as they backed away from the mirror. 'I suppose it could happen though...Kiri isn't exactly stable at the moment,' he thought.

"It can't possibly show us the future. That's ridiculous…I think…I think we need to leave…this doesn't feel right…"

"Agreed…" The duo ran back out of the cave into the forest and didn't stop until they reached the glade.

"Well I must say that was spooky…" Katya attempted to joke.

Shisui nervously rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, I gotta say that I don't usually expect to travail haunted caves when I'm in the forest with a pretty girl," Shisui joked back, attempting to put her at ease.

"Oh, so you get lost with girls in the forest often, then? Do you have your wicked way with them too?" Katya teased.

"Nope, not often, only the really pretty ones."

Katya started laughing, "You, sir, are an incorrigible flirt."

"Well, thank you, I try." Shisui gave a dramatic bow while Katya clapped indulgently.

"I think it's time to go, Shisui…we're starting to fade. I hope to see you again, so long as we don't go back to that cave."

"'Till next time. Ja ne!"

* * *

_ **One Week Later, Dreamscape** _

Katya was sitting quietly on the creekside with a book in her hand. One of the best things that she discovered in this world was that anything she imagined would appear. She made the most of her time by literally studying in her sleep. Shisui crept up quietly behind her and startled her. The book flew into the creek as the shinobi bent over cackling.

The blonde teenager glared at the boy. "Go get it," she commanded.

He tapped his finger to his chin before grinning. "What do I get if I do?"

"Don't know. But I'll tell you what you get if you don't."

Shisui walked to her other side before smirking again, "Oh and what's that, my sweet Katya-chan?"

"A swift kick to the backside."

"Hmm, I don't think you would be able to catch me." Shisui flickered away, retrieved the lost book then flickered back. Katya stepped back quickly in surprise as his grin widened.

"You're on drugs! Oh my God, I knew there was something wrong with you!"

The teenager held his hand up in front of his face as though casually inspecting his nails. "What, you mean you can't do that? Or this?" He stepped out onto the water surface while the girl gawked at him. "Wanna join me?" he waggled his eyebrows and held his hand out in invitation.

"You threw my book in the water, and you expect me to join you?"

"Well, yeah. Girls normally get charmed by this kind of thing…" he rubbed the back of his head with his hand sheepishly. Katya raised an unimpressed eyebrow before turning back to her sopping book. Shisui crouched down in front of her before taking the book in his hands and warming the pages with chakra until they were mostly dry. His fingers grazed hers before he handed over the book. They both blushed slightly at the contact.

"Thanks, 'Sui."

"Sure thing, Kat," he said with a genuine smile. "Explain it to me?"

Katya's eyes lit up, "I'd love to."

* * *

** _One Month Later, Dreamscape_ **

The dreamscape was calm, its blue sky devoid of clouds and the wind whispered gently through the trees. Shisui decided to meditate on a boulder in the middle of the creek. He reveled in the feeling of the sunshine and peace that permeated the entire dreamscape. It was rare, if not impossible, for him to find this at home. He heard a rustling motion as his favorite blonde walked up to the waterside before taking a seat on a nearby log.

It had been over a month since Shisui had first been called to the dreamscape. Katya was the most interesting girl he had ever met. For one, she didn't moon over him like the village girls tended to do. His fanclub was half of the reason he stayed either in the training ground or his apartment. He felt like he could talk to Katya about anything. They talked about their favorite plants and books. They shared their hopes and dreams for the future and their dislikes. What he really loved was the mild friction that sometimes arose in their conversations. His new friend would always puff up like a proud parakeet before arguing with him.

"Hey, Shisui!" she called from the creek bank. He waved back in response before standing up on the boulder and walking to the water's edge.

"I will never figure out just how you do that, will I?" Katya pouted. His gaze lingered a moment on her lower lip before he shook his head to get rid of that thought.

"Hmm, maybe." His face lit up as an idea suddenly came to him. Extending his hand, he looked at her expectantly. "Trust me, Kat. Come join me."

The girl looked at his hand dubiously before taking it. He pulled her in closely to his body. After settling her hands on his waist he moved his own to her elbows. "Put your feet on mine," he whispered in her ear. Katya closed her eyes tightly as she waited for him to drop her. He walked slowly on the water's surface and stopped in the middle of the current. "Open your eyes." Katya peeked open one eye experimentally before opening the other.

"Oh my God. This is amazing." She looked around and saw the fish swimming beneath her feet. A genuine smile bloomed on her face as she looked up at him. 'You're amazing,' he thought to himself.

"Huh?" she asked. Upon realizing that he said his thought aloud he lost control of his chakra and they both fell into the water with a loud splash. Shisui popped up quickly and looked around for Katya. He began to panic when he realized that she hadn't surfaced. Holding his breath, he dove down below the current when he felt someone touch his back.

They both came to the top of the water. Katya sent a small tidal wave in his direction, causing him to go below the surface again to dodge. When he came up for air he noticed that she was laughing.

"So funny…" he said wryly.

"I thought so. I can swim just fine, ya know."

"I can see that." Without warning he sent his own massive wave towards her. She splashed at the water before trying to make her way towards the shore. "Oh no you don't! Come back here, Kat!" Shisui grabbed the back of her shirt to pull her towards himself when she lost her stride and bobbed under the water. He quickly put his arms underneath hers and pulled her up. "Sorry. I didn't mean to put you under. I forget how short you are."

"Shisui."

"Yeah?"

"Get your hands off of my boobs. Now." The shinobi quickly acquiesced and moved his hands to her waist instead.

"Oh shit, I didn't even realize! I'm so sorry."

* * *

_ **7 Years and 6 months Previously in Konoha, Nakano River** _

"You have checked for genjutsu?" Itachi asked seriously, activating his sharingan and looking over at his friend carefully.

"Obviously, Itachi. I think I'm in love with this girl. I've never even met her in the real world, but she's so amazing." Shisui said, falling back into the grass with a lazy smile on his face. "And it can't be a genjutsu because I go there voluntarily. There's like this big gate that opens up every time I want to go. She's like a ray of sunshine every time I see her…"

"It sounds like she insults you every time you see her," Itachi grumbled and threw grass at Shisui's face. Truthfully, Itachi was concerned for his friend. He felt as though Shisui was losing his mind and his grip on reality.

Two months passed by before Shisui found the courage to kiss Katya for the first time. He knew that he was wrong for wanting her. His father would be less than pleased if he were alive. There was so much drama going on with his clan that he couldn't help but want one thing for himself. Later he would wonder if it was too much to ask of the world.

* * *

_ **Present Day** _

Shisui gently lowered her to the ground, making sure that she was steady before he let go. She looked around in shock. The area around them was a blackened wasteland as far as her eyes could see, weapons were strewn about and mummified bodies hung from the branches of a large tree. The smell of ash and ozone was thick in the air, but the most terrifying thing was the silence that rang around them.

"This is not where I was a minute ago…where are we? Did I die? This looks a lot like hell…but then how are you here?"

"You mean you don't know?" Shisui replied, baffled.

"No, one moment I stepped on an IED, the next I felt my body pulled backwards. I thought it was just the explosion…"

"This is my dimension… I still don't understand how you're here…not that I'm not happy to see you. I'm just really…shocked…I mean the gates to our dimensions are locked to each other. Wait a second. You stepped on a bomb? On patrol? You told me you wouldn't take risks! You said it was basically a long holiday from reality!"

"They needed an extra body, and I was the right rank. You don't have room to say anything, Shisui. I've seen you in the mirror taking more risks than necessary…" She practically whispered the last part. "We're both fighting wars…Why does the air feel so heavy?"

"Damn it, Katya. Stop changing the subject. You almost died!" Shisui started to stew in his aggravation when he noticed Itachi walking closer to them. Before he could even think it, Shisui interrupted his thoughts, "It's not a genjutsu; it's her." Itachi gave a slight nod. He had already confirmed that his best friend was not under a genjutsu when he approached but figured that this gave Shisui a way to avoid thinking about his soulmate's possible demise.

"This should not be possible. How did this happen?" Itachi looked at them both.

"It's possible that it's inter-dimension travel. But it seems rather coincidental to have corresponding explosions on both dimensions. But I just…I don't know. I don't know anything. How is this possible? What is the point of all this? Why now? Why not earlier? Why here?" Katya started hyperventilating, "After all this time. After everything that's happened. Why now?"

"These are all questions that we will find the answers to later. Right now, we need to move and find out what is happening. Team Seven might still need help, and it appears that the remaining Hokage and we are the last line of defense. Can you move? I'll need to carry you; you won't be able to travel at the same pace as us." Shisui directed the question softly to the distraught woman in his arms. Sobering herself and wiping her face, she gave a nod. With a considerable amount of embarrassment, she climbed on his back at his invitation. They arrived at the same time as Minato and apologized for their tardiness. Shisui lowered Katya to the ground with a brief kiss to her forehead before holding her hand and maneuvering himself between her and the Hokages. "It'll be okay," he whispered.

"In order to verify Madara's status and find out what happened, we should use his lower half to revive him with the reanimation jutsu. Then we'll make him talk," Tobirama stated matter-of-factly.

"To do that we'd need a living sacrifice!" Hashirama exclaimed in outrage.

"Even if we were to revive Madara there would be no guarantee that we would be able to hold control of the jutsu. Shisui and I did not find Kabuto by mere chance. Nagato Uzumaki was reincarnated and had the free will to tell us the location of the jutsu caster before the caster was able to reassert control over him. Madara himself is proof that this jutsu has a weakness to those who are reanimated with a strong will." Itachi stared blankly at the Second Hokage, almost daring him to continue talking about using a living sacrifice. "There has been enough death here today. If Kaguya does return, we must be prepared. Resurrecting Madara does not serve a purpose in this."

At this moment the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo, corporealized from the lower half of Madara's body and emitted a large burst of chakra. The woman in Shisui's arms lost consciousness from the sheer magnitude of energy emitted. Shisui looked to the Yondaime Hokage and signaled for help.

"Ah, she'll be okay, Shisui-kun. I'd be willing to bet the Kyuubi to Kumo she's just chakra sensitive." Minato whispered and winked at the younger shinobi while Hagoromo started to tell the tale of Indra and Asura and the story of how the bijuu came to be to the others around them.

"A sensor? Yondaime-sama, she's not a shinobi."

"No, she's not. Usually chakra-sensitive civilians live far from hidden villages anyway. I used to hear tales though, of the rare civilian fainting during larger shinobi battles, if they got too close. It happens. I wouldn't worry too much about it. The human body is amazingly adaptable. The fainting response is the brain's way of shutting down from too much input. Besides, she's not a normal civilian, is she?"

"No, I suppose not." Minato smiled at Shisui again before turning his attention to Hagoromo.

* * *

**AN:** Please leave a review. :) If you liked this fic be sure to hit follow/subscribe to have update alerts! Thank you so much for joining us on this amazing ride! Polite comments are always welcome in any shape or form, as is constructive criticism. So long as it is just that: constructive.

Direct quotation from Episode 463 of Naruto Shippuden; Direct quotation in introduction by George Santayana

Posted: 20 Oct 2019

Updated: 27 May 2020; a special thank you to adrieunor for her character analyses! And of course thank you to CherryBerry12 who is an amazing person and edited not only the original chapter 1 but took the time to go through it a second time. She's awesome!

IED: Improvised Explosive Device. (A bomb made with random stuff). Stepping on the pressure plate causes a chemical reaction that sets it off. Usually they are difficult to detect because they are made with trash and thus look like trash and can blend into surrounding areas.

Ozarks, USA: "The Ozarks cover a significant portion of northern Arkansas and most of the southern half of Missouri, extending from Interstate 40 in Arkansas to Interstate 70 in central Missouri" -Wikipedia. The Ozark area contains a unique mish-mash of culture from the southern United States as well as the midwest. It's a "mountainous" region, but when compared to larger mountain ranges such as the cascades or alps, it's more of an overgrown foothill region. It's similar to Konoha in climate and environment. The primary industries include timber, agriculture and lead mining. The lead mining has contributed to many health and environmental problems in the region.

The song I was quoting was "Wrong Side of Heaven" by five finger death-punch.


	2. Where We Are

Chapter 2 Beta'ed by: **CherryBerry12**

* * *

_ **Present Day, Bijuu Battlefield** _

Shisui's eyesight was becoming blurry again and his head foggy. Now that the adrenaline of Katya's appearance had cleared from his system his concussion was making itself known. He practically threw Katya's unconscious body at Itachi before bending over to vomit behind one of the uplifted boulders.

"Well, at least your lover did not see that," Itachi told him with a smirk.

"Ha Ha Itachi, very funny…I hate concussions."

"One would think you would hate any and all injuries." He responded, slipping the woman into his friend's arms before masking a cough.

"It's getting worse isn't it?"

"It will be okay. Come, Hagoromo-sama has said we need to move outside of the crater so they can summon Team Seven and the bijuu back."

"They were successful, then?"

"Aa."

"Oh, thank the kami. Ya know Itachi, being around all of these reincarnated heroes makes me feel melancholic. Like I know I should be with them." At this Itachi turned sharply to look at Shisui in question. "Well, I have almost died twice now. Although maybe the Danzo thing doesn't count so much as the Pein thing. Besides, it only counts if you're cold and dead. I was more of a luke-warm dead. A broken-microwave meal dead, if you will."

"Do not bring him up. That is my worst memory."

"Yeah, I know." Shisui rubbed the back of his head sheepishly while Itachi looked at him with a stern gaze.

"No, I really do not think that you do. I do not think you will ever understand how much you mean to me, personally. Or how much you mean to Sasuke. You are my brother. I will always love you."

"Ah Itachi, a love confession, for me?" Itachi refrained from rolling his eyes and turned away, focusing on Naruto's heartfelt soliloquy to Minato.

"He's right Shisui." Katya whispered, blearily opening her eyes and moving to sit up.

"Slowly babe, you were out for at least an hour," he said, adjusting his hold to support her.

"Shisui. He is right. You are well-loved, and your life is treasured to many people. Why do you think the dreamscape was destroyed after Danzo? How do you think you were healed?" Katya took a ragged breath and remembered the fear she felt when she saw him on the other side of the mirror, walking off the cliff. "I've told you what happened. And for some unknown reason you never believe in the love that people have for you. Can't you live for us? Aren't we important enough for you to go on living instead of taking the easy route?"

* * *

_ **5 October 2012; Ozarks, USA** _

Katya sat in her calculus class and looked at the clock for the tenth time in five minutes, yet couldn't shake the feeling of something being wrong. It felt as though a black cloud had settled over the day in contrast to the bright cloudless sky outside. The final bell rang, and the class ran out of the room as though they were storming the beaches at Normandy.

Katya headed to her cousin's 1975 Chevrolet Silverado that he swore, "Someday Kit-Kat, this baby is gonna turn a profit, just you wait and see." Of course, two years later and it still was white and rust, missing a fender and regularly used for farm work. Katya had to admit that it was better than walking home alone or riding the county school bus for an hour and a half.

"Hey Kit-Kat! I'm real sorry but Coach just said we have another practice today. If you wanna wait 'bout an hour, I can drive you home then!" Taylor had already started running back to the football field before hearing her answer. He didn't need to; he knew that she would wait. She walked over to the top of the bleachers and closed her eyes to nap. As she fell asleep, she heard a voice calling out to her, calling her to the mirror.

* * *

_ **The Dreamscape** _

The gate loomed overhead and creaked as it opened for her. The sky threatened to rain. Thunder shook the ground underneath her feet while lightning split through the cloud cover. 'That's not strange at all…' she thought. The disembodied voice continued and sounded as though it had split into multiple voices speaking at different times. She walked through the darkening forest into the mouth of the cave. The walls vibrated with the skittering of millions of legs, arachnid bodies shaking together and adding to the cacophony. The feeling of abandonment and loneliness weighed on her conscience; the thought of all of her loved ones dying and leaving her alone pervaded her mind without warning until all she could see in her mind's eye were dead bodies and the cave before her. "Protec…e…vill…nd…chiha…na…" she heard Shisui's voice come through the din as she entered with a sickening feeling. 'This is not right…it's worse than last time...' It was no more than a whisper, as she heard her cousin's voice enter into the racket, "To love is to be afraid. But it makes us all that much stronger." Katya began to run towards the mirror, desperate to know if the young man that she had begun to love was okay. She touched the mirror with both hands and saw Shisui's battered body falling off of the cliff.

In desperation she pounded her fists on the mirror as though it would stop the scene and screamed at him to "Stop!" A strange power surged through her and a bright yellow light erupted in the cave as she felt her body wrap around his while they fell together into a white void. At the top of the cliff Itachi stood, dazed, as his best friend seemed to have been snatched in midair by a young woman with light blonde hair and dragged into a portal that disappeared as quickly as it had arrived.

Katya clung to Shisui as they fell. They landed in a white space that appeared to go on in all directions. "Wake up, Shisui! Wake UP!"

Shisui groaned out her name before his body went slack again. "Shisui! You are not leaving like this!" Katya grabbed his shoulder holster and tried to wake him up again, tears going freely down her face as she screamed. "You have to live! Don't give up...God please do not give up. Shisui! ...fight to stay here...please! Don't leave us without you...you are loved by so many... I love you so much! Please stay here…" She broke down in sobs as his pulse became fainter under her fingers.

"What will you give up to restore him?" She heard a little girl's voice ask. Katya looked up at the apparition twirling it's skirt and skipping around the room. "Promise us something…and we will give him back his life, restored." The apparition and voice changed and distorted into that of a wizened old man. Katya pulled Shisui's body behind her and put her hand on her pocket-knife. Whispers erupted from all sides of the room as she got into a defensive crouch.

"What do you want?"

"Blood. You are unique. We will accept an exchange in blood. You have given your spirit's energy to stop his fall, but he is not mended nor is he where the soul-pair should be."

"What pair?"

"We say no more. Give it to us and we will do the rest."

"You will fix his wounds and restore his eyes?"

"We will also return him to his own world."

"Can you take the blood-debt from the one who did this to him?" Katya asked, sounding bloodthirsty even to her own ears. The apparition started off in a cackle then whooped in delight while thousands of voices laughed from all sides of the room.

"We cannot. For we will eat his enemy's soul. Dark souls are always so…delicious…" The apparition took on a terrifying visage as the demon revealed itself. It smiled at her menacingly, baring its teeth from the dark shadows as flames erupted from its feet. "Hurry now, he is fading. Cut your hand and mark his chest with your blood if you accept." The apparition had changed back into a young girl again. The walls of the room began to show the days that they spent in the glade. Katya looked around as her tears began to fall again. Her hand wavered on the enameled handle of the knife when she looked up to see the last time that he kissed her displayed on the walls. The day that she knew for sure she loved him.

Swallowing her tears and pain she nodded her head at the apparition, "I accept your deal. I, Katya Miller, will owe the blood-debt to you for fully restoring Shisui Uchiha and returning him to his dimension as well as reaping the soul of his attacker." She cut through the collar of his shirt and swiped the knife across her palm while placing it in the middle of his chest. The world exploded around them as they were both shot through space and time. Katya was not aware of where they had landed; her only concern was that he was whole again.

He opened his eyes and took in the sight of his lover's face, surrounded by a halo of green leaves above her. The smells around him made him think of home and he knew that he must be in heaven. "Katya." He whispered. He noticed her tear-tracked face as he lifted his hand to her cheek.

"I love you." She said, looking into his eyes and caressing his cheek. "I love you so much, Shisui."

"Human! He is healed. The blood-debt will now be paid." The demonic voice snarled from all around them as the shadow creature appeared from the forest. It grabbed her by the neck and threw her into the air; disappearing with her into her own dimension. Her screams of pain and horrendous metallic screeching echoed from the portal as he helplessly watched her disappear. Shisui barely registered Itachi's hand on his shoulder as he stood. He ran two paces towards the edge of the cliff before Itachi tackled him.

"She's gone, Shisui. You are not able to chase her. She is gone." Itachi held Shisui's shoulders and pretended to not notice the older teen falling apart with wretched sobs.

* * *

** _Ozarks, USA_ **

"Kat! Shit! Katya! Wake-up! Come on, cuz, mee-ma's gonna kill me! Fuck! Brad call 911!" Katya vaguely heard Taylor's voice hovering at the edge of her mind. "Coach! Coach!"

"How in the Sam hell…pressure…head…" The older man's voice drifted away as she felt herself put onto a flat board. The pain of the needle barely registered as she slipped into unconsciousness again. There was a slow rhythmic beeping all around her as she floated in the dark of her mind.

"Kit-Kat, wake up please, honey." She heard her grandmother's muffled and broken voice from the darkness.

"Tell her about your day. Sometimes talking to them helps." She heard a younger woman say. 'Nurse' her mind echoed vaguely.

"Oh honey. You gave us all a fright. That deputy came over to the house to tell us about the accident. It was the nice one, the Peters' boy. He looked awfully sorry, bless his heart. Oh, you probably don't know what happened…well that Lewis kid, the one that's always causing trouble was playing around in his truck and he rammed into the bleachers. The whole thing just collapsed! Nearly gave myself a heart attack as we drove past it on the way here. Taylor said it took four of 'em to get you out of the wreck…"

'Don't cry Mee-ma…I'm still in here…don't cry…' Katya thought.

"Pop's almost done talking to the sheriff's office about pressing charges, Ma." Katya heard her uncle's gruff bass echo in her mind. "The doctor told him that she'll be transferred up to Kansas City Children's hospital for a time, but he 'spects that she'll pull through. State's payin' for everything..."

* * *

** _Present Day_ **

"Come, Shisui, Katya. This is not the time for a lover's spat." Itachi bound down to the center of the crater as the bijuu began to disperse. He suppressed a cough. Then he walked up to his brother and wrapped him in a tight hug. "I am glad to see you are successful, otouto. Kakashi-san, Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun, well done."

"Maa, where's your counterpart, Itachi-san?" Kakashi said.

"He is indisposed. His lover appeared," Itachi said casually as he sat down on a boulder.

"Whoa! His what? I thought Shisui-nii is a perpetual bachelor?! He reads porn with Kakashi all the time! How the hell did he get a girlfriend? Where was he hiding her? Not to mention how is she here?!" Naruto began flailing his arms around wildly in confusion.

"Over there, dobe. Top of the cliff." Sasuke said, taking Naruto's head and turning it to the corner where Shisui and Katya stood.

"It would appear that we have been spotted." Shisui said, turning to Katya and offering his hand.

"This conversation is not over, Shisui."

"I know, love. It never is." He said softly, kissing her briefly and taking them both down to the bottom of the crater. He took her hand in his and led her over to the small group. "Hey everyone. This is Katya. She's from another dimension."

"Shisui!" Everyone around them looked flabbergasted at his announcement. Shisui just shrugged and continued.

"She was pushed from her dimension into ours, but we've known each other for ten years now. We've considered each other lovers since the Pein attack. Well, a couple of days after that anyway," He stated simply.

"I'm going to just sit down. It's been a long day. Nothing surprises me anymore," Kakashi said wearily, cradling his head in his hands. "Naruto, Sasuke; when you get over your shock it would be nice of you both to undo the Tsukuyomi. I'm sure the people of the world would appreciate it. Sakura-chan, if you have enough chakra, it'd be nice of you to do the whole medic thing." Kakashi waved dismissively towards his teammates.

* * *

_ **3 September 70, Pein Attack, Konoha** _

Shisui looked to the sky above the wreckage and saw a butterfly fly past. He smiled and closed his eyes. He would be with Katya now. He had one regret: not being able to prevent the devastation that Pein had caused Konoha. At least, for now, he knew that Itachi could go on living when he and Tenzo-senpai came back to the village. He drew in his last breath and slipped off into the unknown. As he walked through the shallow water, he found his grandfather, Kagami sitting beside a campfire.

Shisui dropped to his knee as he greeted him, "Grandfather…I…"

"You have done well, Shisui-kun. You have had a strong will of fire for the last twenty-four years. I daresay that that will continue. I am proud." Kagami gave him a gentle smile as he patted the seat next to him for Shisui to sit down. "That woman of yours has quite the spirit. I have heard things here in the spirit realm."

"She's dead, as am I, Grandfather." Shisui said mournfully. "May I be candid?"

"Of course, Shisui-kun."

"I'm surprised to see you here, rather than her. Not that I don't mind your company," Shisui exclaimed while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"She is not dead. And I suspect that you will not be either, after a time. Although, I did see her spirit appear here briefly eight years ago. I was shocked, of course, that I would see a random young woman instead of you. However, it felt to me that your souls were connected. So perhaps, it was not quite so odd as I had originally believed. Ah, I have learned many a-thing in death including some about the properties of souls. So many of them…"

Shisui looked surprised that she was alive, as his last memory of her was hearing her screams muffled by the horrid scratching of twisting metal. After that he looked for the gate to the dreamscape, but all he had been able to find were the desolate and charred ruins of what had once been their forest beyond it.

"Now, now Shisui-kun. You need not worry yourself. Look!" Kagami pointed at the water underneath their feet. Images flashed before Shisui's eyes. He saw Katya in some sort of uniform, covered in mud, a grimace on her face as her comrades laughed. He saw her in a graduation cap holding a diploma with her cousin's forearms resting on the top of her head. He saw her stooped over a small pile of books, white board covered in half-finished equations in the background as she looked deep in concentration. He growled when they flashed to a final image of her in another man's arms.

"No need for that, Shisui-kun. After all she does not live in your dimension, and you have been with numerous young women, yourself, so I've seen," Kagami chuckled. "Ah it appears that our time is up. Shisui, your soul is not unique. Twenty live in our world or have walked there at one point. Remember this well: you and your partner were made to spread peace; but there is always an opposing force. I love you, my son. Carry on the will of fire." Before Shisui could blink he was gasping for breath and looking up at a blue sky. His cousin Sasuke was kneeling beside him, a tell-tale trail of blood running from his tear ducts.

"Shisui-nii, the dobe was successful. Pein used the Rinnegan to call back those who died today." Nothing more was said, and nothing else was needed. It had been several years since Sasuke had called him that. Shisui had harbored his doubts as to whether Sasuke would ever be whole again after living with Orochimaru for three years in partial captivity. Especially after they had found out the extent of the psychological conditioning that the snake had put him though. Yet witnessing this display of emotion from the boy, however closed off it may be, he began to truly believe in Sasuke's recovery.

"Ah, Sasu-chan, I knew you cared." Shisui sat up and rubbed his cousin's head with his knuckles while Sasuke pushed himself away with a hmph.

"We never speak of this again, cousin." Sasuke said finally, walking away to the growing crowd near the former village gates.

* * *

_ **Two Days Later; Dreamscape** _

Shisui stood before the charred gate for the first time in eight years. As he walked closer it creaked open slowly, an irritated and decrepit sentry overseeing the young forest. Years of rust and disuse fell from the hinges as Shisui pulled it wider and entered the Dreamscape. He walked through the littered path of the growing forest, the sun shining brightly before him as he arrived at the bed of the creek. He sat down and listened to the flow of the water and the singing of the birds in the saplings. He heard the crunching of footsteps behind him and turned excitedly to see his soulmate.

"Shisui, I missed you. But I also owe you."

He looked at her like she was crazy, "You don't owe me anything?" he said, confused.

"Oh, I do." She purred seductively before slapping him hard across his cheek. He could have dodged it, he told himself, honestly, he could have. He wasn't that bad of a shinobi.

"Ow. What was that for?" he said, rubbing his sore cheek.

"Trying to die…twice. I got here yesterday and was able to look in the mirror. Imagine my surprise when I got to watch the last eight years of your life as a montage. Including your last little kiss with death." She walked closer to the creek bed and turned so he couldn't see her face. "That's the second time you've died, Shisui. Are you trying to?" she whispered.

"Katya, I'm not trying. I'm really not…please sweetheart, don't cry. I promise, I'm not trying to kill myself. I won't even get that close again, I swear." He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close as she kept her tears at bay. "I love you. I still do. It's been…eight years…but Gods help me I never stopped."

"We don't even know the people we've become anymore, Shisui. How can you possibly know if you still love the person I've become?"

"Because I know underneath all of that bullshit is a woman with a strong and loyal heart. I might have to find her again and earn her trust, but to me, it's worth it." He bent his head down and moved his hand behind her head, holding her waist gently in the other. "Will you trust me to start?" Katya closed her eyes and gave a brief nod. Shisui touched her lips gently with his and slowly deepened their kiss until she lost balance and was only held up by him with one hand on his chest and the other behind his head. As they pulled back he touched his forehead to hers and briefly kissed her nose, pulling her closer to him.

"I never stopped loving you either…" she whispered.

* * *

**AN:**

Please leave a review. :) If you liked this fic be sure to hit follow to have update alerts!

Posted: 26 Oct 2019

Updated: 20 May 2020


	3. 'Till I See You Again

* * *

Chapter 3 Beta'ed by: CherryBerry12

**Warning: Chapter contains a lemon**

* * *

** _Present Day_ **

As Naruto and Sasuke formed the seal to release the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Katya turned to Shisui, put her face in the crook of his neck, and breathed in his familiar smell. "What are we going to tell people? It's not like we can just come out with the truth like you did with Team Seven…I also think that I have more information about this world than I originally thought." Shisui looked at her and nodded for her to continue. "Shisui, I think that there are others like us. Others that can see between these two dimensions. In my world there was a man named Kishimoto who wrote a story called 'Naruto'. Looking at _this_ Naruto now, though, the similarities are uncanny...The story he wrote is slightly different than what has been happening. I don't know...This whole thing is just strange."

"We have time to figure this all out later, Kat. I think for now though we should talk it over with Itachi and Kakashi-senpai before telling the world everything, if we ever do."

"I thought your leader was female? Shouldn't we be telling her too?"

"That's the thing, I don't know. Tsunade is a great hokage, yes, but she's also planning on foisting the hat on one of those two as soon as the war is over. She never wanted it in the first place. And I think, for now, the number of people who know should be kept small. There's always rogue ninja after wars like this one, bands of people who will press any advantage or perceived weakness in order to better their own lives or to fill a hole inside them."

"I agree, the number should be kept small. But it should be kept small so that people don't try to tear apart the dimensions or mess with the fabric of reality. I think that we need to find out more about why we're connected. Something pushed me through that portal. It wasn't an accident."

"This is why we need to talk with Kakashi-senpai and Itachi...I wish Jiraiya-sama was still around though...he would have been the best person to talk to about this." Shisui was silent for a time before turning slightly to kiss her. "It will be fine. Everything will work out, okay?"

* * *

** _Eleven Months Previously, Dreamscape_ **

"So you joined your country's Army, huh?" Shisui asked carefully as they lay in the grass near the creek.

"Yeah. It's kind of a family tradition. Every generation has served even before the country was founded." Katya rolled over and stretched her back slightly. "I joined after I finished my degrees. They paid my student loan debt. Plus, it's not like I'm active duty or infantry or anything. I'm a military intelligence reservist. Try not to worry so much. It'll be fine." She kissed him briefly and poked his rib with a smile.

"Infantry, those are the people like me, right? The ones that see a lot of combat?"

"Yeah, 'Sui those are the guys like you. Oh. I should probably tell you that I'm thinking of volunteering for a deployment. So I mean, yeah I'll be in a warzone...but I'll be at the base the entire time. And due to my job, it's unlikely I'll be pulled for patrol." Shisui could hear the small lie in her voice but didn't call her out on it. He didn't think that it would particularly matter what dimension or army a soldier was in, when the command said you were needed for patrol, you patrol.

"What's going to happen to your job at home?" he asked gently, attempting to change the subject.

"Well to be honest, I'm in-between jobs right now. I don't really know what I want to do. I mean, yes I have the master's degree, but I don't know if I want to go into R&D, education or theoretical application. I know R&D pays the best out of the three; it's difficult to find a position for theoretical application unless you have a million years of experience; and education is something I enjoy doing, but it's also underpaid and underappreciated."

"Teachers being undervalued is a universal problem. What are the cons with an R&D position?"

"Well, as you have noticed I have breasts."

"Mmm. I've noticed." He winked at her, causing her to smile.

She rolled over so that her face was over his. She lifted herself up to allow him to look down her shirt at her cleavage. In response he started to rub her hip underneath her shirt with his thumb slowly. She put a finger under his chin to tip his eyes back to her face. "I also am a fairly quiet person. It's kind of sad to say, and it has gotten better, but I don't stand up for myself and my ideas as often as I should. It's easier to stand up for others. R&D is kind of an all-boys club. It's difficult to make it in particle physics as a female anyway, but R&D just ups the ante."

"Well you've made it to a supervisor rank in your Army."

She kissed his neck and hummed before responding, "Being a corporal sounds similar to being a chuunin in your dimension. And I got that promotion by studying every single piece of literature that they recommended and by being a mother-hen. I was also very blessed to be around honorable men who didn't mind having a female supervisor. Many women aren't so lucky...I think it really was a matter of luck that _that_ promotion happened in the first place."

"Don't put yourself down so easy, sweetheart. If you mastered your job and were capable of overseeing others then you earned it." He rolled them over so that he was on top of her and started moving his hand upwards underneath her shirt, stroking her soft stomach, while the other went under her head as he started to kiss her. "This may be selfish of me, but I like your personality the way it is. I like keeping you all to myself. You are perfect for me just the way you are." He started kissing down her jaw and sucked on her pulse lightly. She moaned in response, causing him to grin as he continued to kiss her lower.

He looked up when he reached the curve of her breast to find her smiling softly at him. She rubbed his arm softly and pulled his head back up to kiss him. As he had been doing the last month, he started to pull back when she caught his hand and placed it on her breast.

"Please don't stop...I need you." She whispered in his ear, tugging on his earlobe then kissing her way down his neck.

"Are you sure?" He asked, palming one breast and moving his other hand on her hip. In response she wrapped her leg around him and ground against him.

"Shisui, I love you. Please…" She moved her hands from his chest to his shoulders as he paused to take off his shirt and pants. Katya rolled them both back over and began to kiss her way down his chest, trailing her fingers down the ridge of his abdomen. He groaned in response and stopped her hand before she reached his erect cock.

"If you do that, I'm not going to last very long, sweetheart. Besides, you're way over-dressed." He glided his hands down her thighs, taking her skirt and panties with him. He stopped her from removing her own bra and sat up, pulling her legs around him and grinding her clit against himself. He started to move tortuously slow as he slid the straps of her bra down with his mouth. He held her chest to his face as it came off and placed his mouth around her nipple and began to suck down hard, while rolling the other between his fingers. She arched her back into him and moaned, barely noticing that he had her on her back again as her hips rolled themselves into him, seeking relief. He kissed his way back to her mouth and pulled back to look searchingly in her eyes. Finding the same lust that he felt reflected in her gaze he sheathed himself in her wet heat and held still, waiting for her cue that it was okay to continue.

He began to thrust into her slowly and deeply while she drove her hips against him. "Faster please, love." She sighed, kissing him harder. He could feel her getting closer as she became tighter around him and cries started echoing in the forest.

"Let go baby, I'll catch you." He pulled her in to meet her lips again and thrust his tongue into her mouth while keeping a vice grip underneath her thigh. Her walls clamped down as she came with a broken cry and his name on her lips. He slowed his pace and pulled out as he felt his own orgasm approaching. He groaned when he finished and kissed her frantically. "I love you, Katya." He got a soft 'mmh' in reply that made him chuckle as he rolled to the side and held her to him; kissing the side of her face and smoothing her hair back while she put one leg over his hip and slowly traced random patterns on his chest with her fingers. "I need to clean up, sweetheart." He kissed her forehead softly and looked back into her eyes before repeating, "I love you."

"I love you too, 'Sui. I'm afraid if I let you go now though, that I'll fall asleep and wake up on the other side without you." She sighed sleepily against his collarbone.

"Fall asleep baby, we'll be together again soon." She sighed contently and snuggled closer. He felt her warm breath begin to even out on his chest as he pulled her in closer before they both started to fade away. "I wish I could wake up to you in the morning…" He whispered as the dark gathered around him.

* * *

** _Present Day_ **

"Oi, Kakashi-senpai, Itachi, we should talk." Kakashi sighed wearily but nodded in acquiescence. "What do you think we need to say about how Katya got here?"

"Well, you certainly don't want to go around sharing her origin with the rest of the elemental nations. Especially as she is essentially defenseless." Katya scowled at Kakashi's assessment of her in response while Shisui pulled her hips into him closer. He continued, looking at her in the eye. "Sorry Katya-chan but that's the truth. You have no access to chakra. From what I can tell, you will never have access to chakra either. You also don't have the shinobi reflexes to use taijutsu against a real threat. I'm sure that you know some basic self-defense, but that will only work against a civilian. From where I'm standing, I see a petite and curvy woman who looks like a soft target." It was Shisui's turn to scowl at this. "You may have been a soldier in your dimension, but I would wager that you had mediocre fitness scores as you only have slight muscle tone. So yes, defenseless." Katya pulled her arms around her stomach protectively. "You asked for my opinion. I'm stating facts, kouhai."

"You have no reason to be upset with Kakashi-san, Shisui, Katya-san. He is speaking the truth. It is an honest assessment and if you were honest with yourself, Shisui, you would see it as well. That being said, I know that you would have taught her something when you heard about her war. I doubt you spent almost every night for a year copulating."

"Well…" Shisui chuckled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly while Katya turned bright red and hid her face in his shoulder. "She convinced me it wasn't needed. She's very persuasive."

"Shisui!" Katya moaned and covered her face with both of her hands.

"I stand corrected. You, dearest cousin, are a fool." Itachi smirked at him.

"Obito and Kabuto took both Anko and Tenzo as hostages. We could say that she was one of them. They're both loyal shinobi, they can corroborate the story if they're ordered to and given good reason. Shisui is also a powerful, well-known ninja in his own right. There are very few of those in the world, and fewer still who have something to protect. It would make the perfect alibi."

"Adding to what Kakashi-senpai has said, I think that we should say you are from a smaller civilian village. To be honest, if you were born here as a civilian and we found each other, I would have tried my best to keep it a secret from most in order to protect you. So this would be the best cover story."

"How do you propose I explain my education then?"

"Do you need to say you've been educated? You don't really need to work, I make enough to provide for you."

"Shisui, you know how hard I have worked for what I have my entire life. I am not about to stop now and start living off of someone else, lover, soulmate or otherwise. I worked extremely hard for my education. It's hurtful that you're so dismissive of it. Would you like it if I said all you did was work-out so you can have pretty muscles?"

"That's hardly the sa-"

"It is!"

While they were arguing, Itachi suddenly found the ground very interesting while the copy-nin whipped out his Icha-Icha book that had miraculously survived the war. Shisui finally scrubbed his hand across his face in frustration as their argument continued.

"There's a university in the capitol!" Sakura interjected from across the crater. Shisui snorted in mild amusement that their argument had gotten so loud as to be heard by the rest of Team Seven. "That's actually where we get our scrolls on biological physics from. The academy also uses the advanced calculus books that that university produces to teach interested chuunin before they go into the R&D department." Katya gave Shisui a smug look.

"Do they teach particle physics at this university?"

"I'm not sure, Katya-san. But the academy is always short on teachers. I'm sure one of the Rokudaime-hokage candidates would be willing to file some paperwork saying that you are as educated as you are."

"Good work, Sakura-chan. Now I won't have any lover's drama to watch while waiting for everyone to come-to," Kakashi said sarcastically with an eye-crinkle.

"You shouldn't be encouraging friction in their relationship, Kakashi-sensei. I'm sure they have enough troubles as it is with her being ripped from her home and forced to live here." Sakura stopped herself and put her hand on her mouth, eyes open wide as she did not intend to say that. Katya looked to the ground. "I'm sorry, Katya-san, Shisui-san. I didn't mean to be so brutal…"

"That's okay, Sakura-san. It's the truth," Katya said quietly. "I'll never see my family again. As far as anyone knows, there's no way back."

"Would you want to go back if you could?" Shisui asked gently, masking the pain on his face.

"I...don't know...I'm sorry Shisui...I'm so sorry...but I don't know…" Katya said shakily, pointedly refusing to look into Shisui's eyes.

"We have time to figure it out. The last thing I would want is for you to stay because you felt forced. I'm never going to force you or manipulate you into doing anything that you don't want." Shisui tilted her face up to his. "I love you. Even if you don't want to stay in this world, or if you do; that won't change. I promise."

"I love you too," she said as he rested his forehead on hers and pulled her in tightly.

Ignoring Sakura (who had hearts bulging from her eyes), Kakashi spoke again, "Not to ruin the moment, (though that is exactly what I'm trying to do); we still need to talk to Tsunade-sama. And we still need to figure out how you actually got here and why you and Shisui-san are connected."

"That actually reminds me. I spoke to my grandfather, Kagami, after the Pain attack. He said that we're a soul-pair. Though, I suppose that means soulmate as well. He said that there was also an opposing force. I can only guess that that means we were meant to live in the same dimension, but something happened. Probably to do with the opposing force that he talked about."

"That man that I told you about...the one who wrote the story, he wrote about Black Zetsu. I'm not very clear on the specifics, and Kakashi-san could probably explain it better...but Black Zetsu was able to move through portals. It's possible that he's the one that stuck one of us in the wrong dimension or at least our soul...of course this is all conjecture…"

"That is a possibility. I don't know how he would go about ripping souls from dimensions though. He was rather a nuisance to kill." Kakashi said, looking deep in thought before turning his attention back to his book.

"Katya-san, you said that someone in your dimension wrote a story about ours?" Itachi asked.

"Yeah, not specifically about this dimension, but the story was actually based on Naruto Uzumaki's life. Most of it has actually happened, truth be told, with one significant difference." At this Katya began to look nervous while Shisui started rubbing her upper back in encouragement. "In his story, Shisui died. That was kind of the catalyst for you going insane and following a madman's instruction to kill your clan, save your brother…" Itachi looked shocked at this while Shisui looked contemplative.

"The madman was Danzo, wasn't it?" Shisui asked softly.

"Yeah…but I know he's dead so the author must have seen or heard a different version than what has actually happened."

"How do you know that Danzo died, Katya-san?" Kakashi questioned over the top of his book.

"Imadeabloodcontractwithademon."

"What?!" All three men looked at her in alarm. "I'm sorry, love, I don't think we quite heard you. Did you say you made a blood contract...with a demon?"

"Yes. I did," she said, looking Shisui square in the face. "I regret nothing."

"This actually explains a lot about that night…" Itachi said contemplatively while Kakashi looked at them confused.

"Kakashi doesn't know, Itachi. I thought I knew the whole story myself, but I guess not." Shisui said quietly.

"I didn't want to worry you more than you already were." Katya said gently, placing a hand on his arm. "I saw you in the mirror, and I guess I used up all of the gathered spiritual energy to grab you from the fall. You were healed and taken back up to Itachi. I've never told you what happened in between or how I got dragged back to my own dimension." Katya proceeded to tell them the whole story while Shisui looked like he was going to be sick at any moment.

"So basically you received the same injuries as Shisui in exchange for him being whole." Kakashi noted blandly. "Though I notice you do have both of your eyes." He pointed at both of her eyes with his index finger, before appearing to pay attention to his book. Shisui exhaled slowly and walked away from the group with his hands on the back of his head.

"Globe rupture and orbital fractures, it took three surgeries to fix and a specialist to mend the orbital bone. I still wear glasses. But yes, severe concussion, ruptured spleen, uh four broken ribs and a broken vertebrae…" Kakashi nodded for her to continue while Itachi looked visibly shocked. "Uh...my heart stopped twice and they had to resuscitate me while repairing the organ damage."

Kakashi whistled. "Any lasting effects?"

"I should think that's rather personal information, Kakashi-san."

"Katya, what are the lasting effects?" Shisui demanded walking back to the group. Katya looked shocked at his angry tone and the flash of the sharingan in his eyes.

"Calm down, Shisui. You are letting out killing intent on a former battlefield in front of a civilian. Remember where you are," Itachi said quietly, standing in Shisui's way and blocking Katya from his view. Shisui visibly relaxed and blew out a breath as Itachi let him pass.

"Sorry about that everyone." Shisui said in a falsely cheerful voice. He looked at Katya and approached slowly, in a quieter voice, "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm mad at myself." He lowered his voice further so that only she could hear. "What kind of man am I to make my woman take my blows for me? It should be the other way around. I should be your protection. I'm sorry for scaring you. The lasting damage is something that we'll have to talk about later, though. I'm sorry." Katya stared at him with wide eyes before moving in to hug him.

"I accept your apology for scaring me...but the rest is a load of antiquated crock and you know it. We're equals. I would make the same choices again in a heartbeat if I knew you were going to be okay. That's what love is. Don't take that choice from me. Besides, I imagine that we'll have plenty of fights in the coming months as we adjust to living with each other...that is...if that's okay with you."

"There was never any other choice, Katya." Shisui looks down and winks at her to try and alleviate the tension before leaning down and kissing her thoroughly.

* * *

AN:

Updated on 1 Nov 2019


	4. On the Road Again

* * *

Chapter 4 Beta'ed by: CherryBerry12

* * *

The temperature was dropping as dusk fell on the Land of Frost. Shisui had said that they would soon be in the Land of Hot Water, where he promised were hot springs and warmer temperatures as they walked out of the mountains. Katya shivered in her borrowed clothes as the snow crunched underneath her tan combat boots. She was thankful that Sakura had managed to procure a spare set of basic shinobi garb, thermals, pack and sleeping bag that Shisui had put into some kind of sealing scroll. They had been walking at a civilian pace for two days from the Land of Lightning with Team Seven, except for Naruto, who had elected to stay behind to play the role of ambassador. Technically, Kakashi wasn't supposed to be traveling with them either and when asked he would only shrug and say, "paperwork," before turning his attention back to his book.

Katya looked over at Itachi, marveling at the wonder of chakra. She knew that normally people with pulmonary problems did very poorly in cold weather. When she had asked Sakura if it was safe for him to be out in the cold, the younger woman simply laughed and said that everyone else had chakra circulating to keep themselves warm. Itachi had given an amused huff as he explained further that he was using slightly more chakra than he normally would have if his lungs were in good condition to keep his chest warm.

Yesterday, Katya had asked why they were walking normally if they could use chakra to get back home faster. Shisui had said that there were a few reasons, the first being that Itachi was not supposed to be using the amount of chakra that it would take to run at a shinobi pace through the Land of Frost. When she had asked how much Itachi needed to keep himself warm, Shisui had said that circulating his chakra to regulate his temperature took such a nominal amount that most clan-born children did it subconsciously by the time they were two. He had gone on to mention that the second reason they were walking instead of running through the pine-trees was to protect smaller, weaker or injured groups of withdrawing shinobi from external threats such as deserters or missing nin. Shisui said that she was a distant third reason, but more than likely they would have walked home even without her there. After that Katya had been quiet and did not ask anymore questions for the rest of the day. In fact, the only evidence that she hadn't shut down completely were the small smiles she gave him when he touched her.

"You've been quiet today," Shisui said while putting his arms around Katya and circulating a layer of chakra to warm her up. Katya shuddered and leaned into him. He had been doing this every half hour like clockwork to prevent his lover from getting sick or frostbitten.

"It's the snow, and the cold, and...well everything else I guess," Katya responded quietly. Her lover hummed in response and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"There was an inn up ahead several years ago, they had excellent eggplant miso soup, if I recall," Kakashi stated casually as he walked past the couple. As a testament to his excellent memory, an inn appeared over the ridge. It was still surrounded by the roots of the God-tree, but there was smoke coming from the chimney which meant that it should be operational.

"Oh! Thank kami! A bath!" Sakura exclaimed, practically leaping for joy. They reached the reception area where a tired middle-aged woman limped up to the front desk to greet them.

"How many rooms?" she yawned. More of her gray wiry hair escaped the confines of her bun and seemed to take a life of its own.

"Three, please," Kakashi said brightly. The woman simply nodded and handed him three room keys.

"We serve breakfast at seven in the dining room. Our hot springs are closed at the moment in preparation for the fall snows." Sakura wilted a bit at this.

"It's okay, Sakura-san. I'm sure they still have hot water for showers. It's better than a field bath, at any rate," Katya consoled. 'Literally anything is better than a field bath...using a wet wipe to clean oneself is just not enough,' she thought.

"Right. Kakashi and Sakura. Myself and Sasuke. Katya and Shisui." Itachi followed up on this by signaling that watch would be every two hours starting with himself.

Shisui guided Katya up the stairs of the inn into their shared room. It was small and had seen better days, but there was a fireplace opposite of a bed that had a thick, albeit outdated, comforter on the top. All in all he thought it was decent fare for a mission. Afterall, they could be sleeping in a tent, in the _snow_. "Go ahead and take the first shower, love. I'll start a fire," he whispered in her ear. She nodded mutely in response and smiled at him in gratitude. After his own shower he was surprised to find her sitting on the bed, still wearing a towel. "Ya know, usually after people shower they put clothes on," he said warmly, taking a place beside her on the bed.

"Oh, yeah I know. I just got lost in my thoughts." She looked up at Shisui before taking his hand and kissing his jaw. "You don't need to worry so much, love. I promise, I'm fine, okay?"

"I do, though. Can I hold you?" She gave a small nod and he slipped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. "I won't pretend to know what's going through your mind. But I'm still me, and you're still you. You can still talk to me. I know we haven't seen each other interact with other people or with the real world, but I still love you for who you are. I've never judged you for feeling a certain way about anything, and I'm not going to start now. If I were being honest, and I were thrown into your world, I'd be afraid too. But, Katya, you need to know that I'm not going to hurt you, I'm not going to betray you. All I want to do is to love you." When Shisui had finished speaking, he noticed that tears were beginning to soak the front of his shirt, so he held her closer, kissed her forehead and moved them underneath the comforter. "It's okay baby, let it out."

"God, Shisui, I was so scared when that explosion went off. My family probably has received word about my death by now...I'll never see any of them again. And it's hard, because they've already gone through so much in this last year and there is no way that I can make this right...It's like everything that I had ever worked for has just vanished and I don't know why. I honestly just wish we knew why…I'm never going back...even if there were a way to go back… My family already thinks I'm dead. It'd be worse on them if I came back, especially because I'd likely be branded as a deserter." Katya was silent for a time before she spoke again, "I just don't know what I'm going to do here…"

"Will you let me help you?" Shisui held his breath as she took a moment to answer him.

"Thank you for asking. It means a lot that you're not just forcing it on me."

"Hn."

"Careful, 'Sui or someone might confuse you for your cousin," Katya let out a watery laugh.

"Which cousin?" Shisui asked, with amusement dancing on his face.

"The emo, broody one."

"Ah, Sasuke then." Shisui smiled as he felt said cousin's chakra shift in agitation from the adjoining room. He put up a silencing area genjutsu in response. Katya snorted in amusement before turning her face into the crook of his neck. "Well, I think that it'd be best if you lived with me. I know you were only thinking short-term, but I'm thinking long-term. It'd be the safest option, would help you get your bearings and it would make me and hopefully, you, happy."

"Yeah, I was thinking along the same lines, honestly." Katya gave a resigned sigh.

"Don't sound so enthusiastic. It's not everyday I get to ask my girl to move in with me." Shisui chuckled dryly.

"Oh, it's not you. It's just difficult to be dependent on someone after being independent for so long. It will take some getting used to."

"Just trust me, it'll be okay. We'll have to get you some clothes when we get back to Konoha too. I can't imagine that borrowed uniform is very comfortable."

"Well, it's only a couple inches too long. But I will admit that it's rather...snug…I feel bad that I don't have anyway to pay you back."

"What'd I say? Let me take care of you, please. Oh. And Itachi and I were talking earlier, he suggested that you take one of the civilian teaching posts. The only requirement is to pass the teaching exam."

"I don't like teaching kids, Shisui. You know that."

"Not kids, chuunin and sometimes genin. If they go into R&D or other departments, they need a stronger mathematical foundation than they are offered in the academy. Especially those who don't come from clans. The academy only teaches up to trigonometry. I'd guess that you'd be responsible for teaching anything that comes after that."

"Oh. I could do that. That actually sounds enjoyable."

"I thought you might like that," he smiled at her. "Let's lay down. It's getting late." He shifted her so that she was underneath him and kissed her thoroughly, "I will never get tired of kissing you good night."

"You're a flatterer, ya know," she said kissing him back.

"I know, but I only try with you."

"I love you, Shisui. Good night," Katya said with a stifled yawn.

"I love you too, Kat. Get some sleep."

* * *

The next day found them walking down the mountainside into the Land of Hot Water. The snow melted off into small rivulets and streams and turned into small waterfalls in the face of the cliff. Surrounding them were leaves in a multitude of oranges, reds and yellows that replaced the dark evergreens of the mountains. The temperature began to shift again, reminding Katya of the Land of Lightning until it began to warm beyond that. It began to get so warm that she had stopped to remove the thermal pants that were underneath the black shinobi pair. It was a beautiful country, but every now and then when they came close to a settlement they saw the roots of the god-tree, hanging over the towns and villages like a forlorn gallows, empty shells swaying in the crisp autumn breeze.

They stood a mile from a small village on a ridge. From their vantage point they were able to see some of the villagers going about their business and others busying themselves with removing the god-tree roots. They looked like small ants attempting to harvest sweet grass in the height of summer. The roots were thick and took ten civilian men to cut through them. As soon as they retrieved a section, it took twenty more men to drag it over to a bonfire.

"That must be why there's so much chakra in the air," Shisui said to Itachi and Kakashi while pointing at the fire.

"Aa."

"I wonder if there would be any negative effects on their health? Civilians aren't used to being exposed to that much chakra, especially in a civilian village," Sakura mused idly. "On the plus side, Katya-san hasn't fainted since we entered the area, so she must be becoming acclimated to being around it," she added brightly.

Sasuke scoffed, "Of course she's becoming acclimated. Shisui coated her with enough chakra yesterday that she's practically neon. Besides, who cares about a civilian village." Sasuke stalked off after this with his hands in his pockets. Sakura visibly wilted and Kakashi put his hand on her shoulder in comfort.

"We will stop here for a few hours. There are excellent springs in this village," Itachi stated as he walked on the path towards the small village.

"There also happens to be world-renowned dango," Kakashi subtly teased, causing Shisui to smirk in Itachi's direction. Itachi's ears turned red as he heard Kakashi. The group followed Itachi's lead as they came to a small onsen next to a teahouse that advertised green tea and dango. "My, my little kouhai seems awfully sure of his destination for just happening upon this particular onsen," Kakashi chuckled and gave an eye crease towards Itachi.

"Of course, Kakashi-_senpai_. One must always be informed about one's location. I am always aware of key locations in the countries surrounding our own," the long-haired man replied smoothly.

"Well, however you found it, Itachi-taichou, I'm going to take a long bath. Come on, Katya-san!" Sakura said, pulling the older woman away from a suddenly bewildered Uchiha.

"Shall we?" Shisui asked the males in the group, and gestured towards the onsen.

* * *

"Sooo, Katya-san, how long have you known Shisui-san, exactly?" Sakura asked as the women slipped into the water.

"Since we were fifteen. That's going on about ten years now. Although…" Katya paused to think about phrasing the next sentence for any passers-by. "We were apart for about seven or eight of those. But we've been together for the last year."

"Was it hard to be away from him for so long?"

"Yes, it was. I think if I hadn't had my cousin I probably would never have moved on. But when I found out that he...well that we could be together again, it was wonderful."

"Moved on? So, you were with someone else while you were apart?" the pinkette questioned quietly.

"Yes. As was he. I told my cousin everything a year after...that incident that took us apart...and he actually took it rather well, bless his heart. He encouraged me to start dating again when I was in university. I can't say that anything lasted too terribly long though...it just wasn't right because none of them…" Katya trailed off and looked towards the fence.

"None of them were him. It makes sense." Sakura began moving the water through her fingers while she sat in thought.

"I don't mean to pry, but I feel we have become close while traveling. But what do you see in him?"

"Who? Oh, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura hummed and sat back with a small smile. "He's very sweet deep down inside and it's the little things he does that shows he cares. He'll never show it outright like your man does with you. But I know that deep down, Sasuke does care."

"How does he show it, though?"

"Well he um...um...oh, he thanked me before leaving Konoha and left me on one of the benches so I wouldn't ruin my career too."

"That's...a rather optimistic way of looking at it."

"He had this look in his eye during that last battle that just showed he cared."

Katya gave the pinkette an unimpressed look.

"He took Naruto and I out for ramen after he came back home before Pein attacked," Sakura said wistfully.

"Uh huh. Wasn't that over a year ago? Has he done anything since then to show that he cares?"

"He does care. Otherwise he wouldn't have come back," Sakura said defensively.

"He went back because his brother kicked his sorry ass and my boyfriend mopped up the pieces to ship them both back home."

"Well...he wouldn't have stayed at home if he didn't want to?"

"Is that a question? Have you ever even held a conversation outside of a mission or training?"

"What would you know? You're not a shinobi, missions and training are like social events."

"I can't imagine that it's a healthy relationship to be in, Sakura-chan. Relationships are about give and take, equally. If one person does all the giving and the other, all the taking, well...that doesn't leave very much left for the former, does it? I'm not saying he's a bad person, I'm sure what you've said is true...it just seems to me that he doesn't do a lot of giving. You're young, you have a whole lifetime to figure out what you want in a man. Maybe he's it. Maybe not."

"You don't like him do you?" the younger woman questioned.

Katya started laughing, "No, I can't say that I do. I think he's a self-absorbed asshole and I've only known him for a week."

"Well, what did you do to get Shisui-san to notice you?" asked Sakura sharply.

"Honestly, Sakura-chan, nothing. We started off as friends and our relationship grew from there. Neither of us were forced into the same dreamscape, we chose to be there every single time because we enjoyed each other's company. When we weren't talking we were just content to sit with one another. I've never felt like I had to impress him or do anything special to get his attention. I think doing anything like that is a kind of manipulation...and we're both skilled manipulators when it comes to gaining foreign intelligence, neither of us would want _that_ in a relationship. We like each other as we are, flaws and all. And that makes it good for both of us," Katya gave Sakura a wink, "in all ways." She giggled when the younger woman blushed in response.

* * *

While the women were switching between the baths and saunas, Shisui and Itachi had left to go to the adjacent teahouse after they had finished bathing, leaving behind Kakashi and Sasuke. As the dango and green tea arrived, they thanked the waitress and Shisui placed a subtle silencing genjutsu on their booth. Itachi raised his eyebrow in question but continued to drink his tea.

"It's been a while since we've been on a mission together."

"Aa." They sat in companionable silence for a time before Shisui spoke again.

"I'm going to ask her to marry me," Shisui said it quietly as though he were worried about his friend's reaction.

"You have only been around her for a week."

"It doesn't matter so much which plane of existence or dimension we've known each other from. We know each other's hearts and minds. That's the important thing. The rest of it is all window dressing. And honestly, Itachi, she knows me. Like knows _me_. Shisui. Not Shisui the teleporter or Shisui of the Mangekyo or even Shisui Uchiha of the great Uchiha clan."

"So she knows you, huh." Itachi sighed and ran his hand over his face. "The elders will not like this."

"I'm not asking the elders for permission. I'm not even asking you as my clan head. But I would like your blessing as my friend." Shisui fixed him with a weighty stare.

"Hn. The clan could still choose Sasuke as clan head." Itachi mused while his friend stifled a laugh. "Tou-sama would have given you his blessing anyway. He knew he could not control what you did when he was alive."

"Aa. He was a hard man to fool."

Itachi gave a breathless chuckle and smirked, "Yes, he was. I remember when we were younger that we thought he was in the dark about our scheming with the Sandaime to end the coup. He was always hoping for peace but putting on a show to prepare for a coup."

"Yeah, it's still hard to believe that old coot had been maneuvering us in the right direction when he could." Shisui fixed Itachi with a serious look, "You'll make a great clan leader, Itachi. I will follow you anywhere. And anyone who says otherwise will fall in line." It went unsaid that Shisui would happily act as Itachi's bosun to get them to fall in line.

"We will need to rebuild the trust that has been broken by our ancestors and my foolish brother. People will not trust the Uchiha now..." Itachi turned back to Shisui after pausing for a moment. "That is why you are going to ask her to marry you now."

"You've always been exceptional about figuring out my plans, Itachi. That's one of the reasons. Marrying a civilian foreigner would reflect well on the clan, making us more approachable. It would not look good if the three of us married someone from the clan. Other people would see that and think that our clan was not changing our ways if the three most powerful members wanted to 'keep the bloodlines pure,' as the elders would say. But my main reason, first and foremost, is that I really do love her. It would also give her a certain amount of protection, as much as I hate using our name as a shield."

"It would also make her an easy target of powerful enemies. Especially if you decide to procreate."

"I thought about that too. I had planned on you and I running the KMPF together, if you didn't get the hat. She said she would look into teaching. It wouldn't be suspicious to increase patrols around the academy, the Hokage tower and the village gates. I could also get Yata to watch her if I'm on a mission."

"Hm. It could work. But you already know there are many holes in that plan. Yata will not be pleased with guard duty, and he does not like you as it is."

"That old bird can get over it. He's a magpie playing dress-up as a crow anyway. I'll just get him a shiny bobble or three and some candied blueberries." Itachi looked at Shisui skeptically. "It's not me he'd be watching anyway. Katya's great with animals. She'd probably be great with summons too."

"Do you honestly believe she would be okay with you keeping surveillance on her? From what I have seen, she is a proud woman."

"I'll just be honest with her about my reasons. If she protests then I'll back off and respect her wishes."

"Right. When will you ask?"

"Tonight. I'm hoping that she will agree to be married at the temple of Amaterasu when we go by it in a couple of days."

"How romantic of you to be so pragmatic," Itachi said dryly. "And I suppose you will want to stop at the hideout, as well, to retrieve your grandparents' rings?"

"Of course," Shisui replied cheekily. "I'm just happy that I put all the family heirlooms in there after my parents died. I can just take them back with me at this point, now that I'll have a wife."

"If she says yes," Itachi deadpanned.

"Oh, she'll say yes. I'm irresistible," Shisui winked at the younger shinobi, who was barely restraining himself from rolling his eyes. "More dango?" he asked, as he released the silencing genjutsu.

* * *

Later that night Shisui and Katya were collecting firewood for their camp at the border of the Land of Hot Water and Fire Country. They were both comfortable underneath the canopy of changing leaves. A sense of home surrounded them as they moved around the bushes underneath the oak and elm trees. As they were walking back to the camp, Shisui gently pulled her over to a log and gestured for her to sit down as he unloaded his burden of sticks next to them. He grabbed her hands and looked into her eyes before asking, "Marry me." Katya looked stupefied, as that was one of the last things she expected to come out of his mouth.

"Marry you?" she asked dumbly.

"Yes, will you marry me, Katya?" he repeated his question with a soft smile and gently caressed her face.

"Are you seriously asking me to marry you while we're in the middle of the woods in semi-hostile territory, Shisui Uchiha?" she replied testily.

"Yes. And I'm quite serious right now."

"Why?" Katya took a moment before collecting her thoughts, "what I mean is, why now? What's the rush? It isn't like you to be so hasty."

"Can't a man ask the woman he loves to marry him without a secondary motivation?" Shisui chimed while kissing her forehead.

"Not when that man has at least ten reasons for doing anything."

"Yeah, fair enough. Well other than the fact that I love you…" She gave him an unimpressed look and nodded for him to continue, "there will be other enemies who are after you. You're still considered a refugee, but that status is shaky and can be revoked at any time by the village elders. Kat, I need you safe. And if sharing my name is what protects you, then I'm going to try my hardest to convince you to marry me."

"You're really worried about that, aren't you?" she replied quietly before putting her arms around him and kissing his lips. She took a moment before responding, "Yes, I'll marry you. But the first and foremost reason to my agreement is that we love each other. And if it's something that will make your life easier and more comfortable, I would agree to most anything."

"Thank you," he responded softly before kissing her deeply. "I wish we could go somewhere a little more private," he groaned out.

"Ya know, you're kind of a perv, 'Sui," she laughed as she stood up to go back to the camp.

"Yeah, but now you're _engaged_ to a perv. So who's the real perv?" Shisui chuckled in response while his fiancee looked gobsmacked.

* * *

AN:

Posted 9 Nov 2019

Updated AN 14 April 2020: Sorry for all the dialogue, but it becomes important in future chapters!


	5. A Wedding

Chapter 5 Beta'ed by: The charming, cheerful and compassionate: **Cherryberry12** and **WritersxBlock101 **on fanfiction.net; who, by the way, has an amazing story out about Kakashi's twin sister! It's an unique SI-OC romance, "Anchor Me"

* * *

The days-long walk between the Land of Hot Springs and the temple in the Land of Fire was lovely. Katya marveled at how the landscape paralleled the familiar deciduous forests of her own home. She couldn't help but look at the current group she had been walking for weeks with and smile—they were beginning to remind her of the family and friends she had left behind in her own dimension. Itachi reminded her of her grandfather, all intelligence, caution and care. Sakura, she supposed, reminded her of her cousin, Taylor. He was courageous and compassionate and had become an infantry medic after he left high school. Her old teammate, Kyle, was aloof and slightly lazy like Kakashi. But they were both also matter-of-fact. As for Sasuke, however, she didn't know what to make of him at times. Then there was Shisui.

She didn't need to think about anyone else when he was on her mind.

The temple looked as though a tornado had hit it. When Shisui had said that there was minor damage, he had clearly been eating magic mushrooms. The iron walls that surrounded it were cracked and demolished in places. The two guardian statues, Tengu and Yamaboshi, were half-crumbled in small piles on the ground. There was a mountain of rubble piled around the outskirts of a relatively new building. Bags of dry mortar lay in a neat stack near the corner of its foundation. An elderly gentleman by the name of Bansai walked up and greeted their small group with a curious expression on his face. There were five other monks currently rebuilding the temple. Three of which, she'd been told, were from other temples.

Katya was startled from her thoughts when the elderly man addressed her, "Katya-san, is it true that you would like to marry young Shisui-kun, here?" The kind man continued, "It is rather abrupt, but I have no objections on my part. It is fortunate that the shrine dedicated to the Kotoamatsukami is still standing just outside of our walls."

"Yes, sir." The young woman smiled back at the wizened man while reaching for her fiance's hand.

"Ah well, no time better than the present. Especially after all of these dark days. We are so fortunate that the spirits, which reside in this temple, kept us from being touched by that so-called god-tree. Now then, Sentoki-kun will show you ladies to your quarters and the men will follow me. The hour draws late and we shall have supper soon."

"Follow me, please," the young man - Sentoki - said to Sakura and Katya. "We are strictly a monks-only order, unfortunately. However, one of the first things we built was a guest house. Bansai-sama has said that you ladies will stay there. The men in your group will stay in the monks' house."

"Sentoki-san, is there a place where I can wash some clothing nearby?" Katya asked.

"Yes. We have a small river that runs through here. I would suggest that your friend go with you, though. We have...interesting wildlife."

"Understood. Thank you." The trio passed through several small piles of rubble sorted by color and size on their way to the guest house. Signs of regrowth and renewal were all around the massive complex.

They arrived at a small cottage guest house that looked as though it had been created from the rubble that surrounded them. "Here we are, ladies. Dinner will be ready shortly." Sentoki smiled serenely at them before placing his hands behind his back and walking away.

"What do you need to wash, Katya-san?" Sakura asked from beside her.

"Oh, it's a headscarf." The foreigner pulled out a storage scroll that her fiance had placed her things in and handed it to Sakura. "You can open it. I need some of the stuff in there, anyway. I'm just glad I had my headscarf and rosary packed when I was on patrol."

The medic opened the scroll and out came a digital-camo printed rucksack with a large US on the front. Sakura noted that there was tape on the top handle and the straps had small holes on the sides that indicated heavy and frequent use. Along with the rucksack came a small firearm that Katya had called a SIG Sauer. It looked nothing like any firearm that she had seen before. From the few she had seen, they were cumbersome and slow, made strictly for hunting large animals. This one looked small and fast. Itachi-san had said that this small firearm was actually slower than the speed at which he threw kunai. That, however, said nothing about its speed compared to a normal shinobi.

There were also a few pairs of the spare shinobi garb that the medic had found for her new friend, as well as a small first-aid kit with foreign markings.

"You can hold the SIG if you want, Sakura-chan." The older woman opened the firearm, removed the bullet that was in the chamber as well as the attached magazine before leaving it open and peering down the backside of the gun. "Clear."

She handed it to Sakura with an expectant look before frowning slightly, "Sorry, I forget you haven't had firearms training. I'm proving to you that I am not handing you a loaded weapon. You're supposed to look at the back end of the chamber here and ensure that you can see through it completely. When you have done that you reply with, 'All Clear'. Then I will close the weapon in plain sight and hand it back to you."

"Oh, that sounds similar to a tea ceremony. The host typically passes around the tools that were used for the guests to view. I see light in the barrel, so all clear." The older woman closed the barrel and gave one final look to ensure the weapon's safety was flipped on before handing it to the younger woman by the handguard.

"Okay, you need to treat every firearm like it's loaded. Even if you have verified that it isn't."

"Gotcha, that's how we treat paper bombs. This is a nifty little thing." Sakura said as she pointed the weapon towards a nearby tree. "I like the weight of it. Oh, is that your headscarf?"

"Yup." Katya had pulled a triangular white piece of lace from a protective heavy canvas pouch. The lace was embroidered with silver accents and had small pearls throughout. It carried the fine red dust of a desert on it and was slightly torn in one small corner. Otherwise, it was well-cared for and still beautiful. "I need to wash it before tomorrow. I brought it with me when I was deployed because I wear it when I pray."

"It's lovely," Sakura said honestly.

"Thank you. When Shisui ran to the Uchiha Hideout with Sasuke the other day he came back with a storage scroll of his family's heirlooms. He wanted me to wear his grandmother's kimono to the ceremony tomorrow, but I just couldn't. I'll wear them, someday. After we're married. But right now, I'm me. I'm going to wear the clothes that I own. The clothes that represent my family. Even though I'm coming from a place where everything is different, I will never forget where I came from."

"How did Shisui-san take it?"

"He was actually very understanding. These are the rosary beads that I brought with me." Katya held up the rosary made of paracord and wooden beads. "My grandmother made it for me out of this heavy duty cord and had it blessed by our parish priest. It's to help count prayers. The cross is actually from an older rosary that belonged to my great-grandmother on my grandfather's side. He was actually a refugee himself."

"Oh? What was he a refugee from?" The medic rested her head on her knee as she listened.

"Bosnia, it's about eight-thousand kilometers and an ocean away from where I'm from. He left with my mother to escape religious persecution after my biological grandmother was killed. They were in the midst of a three-sided religious war. And well, my grandfather and mother were a minority in their area. Anyway, he arrived in the Ozarks, met my grandmother and uncle and married her!"

"That's intense!"

"It is. If my marriage is even half of what my grandparents' is, then I will have done well." The woman smiled softly as she palmed the beads in her hand.

"I know a pretty cool water jutsu for washing clothes, Katya-san! I use it in the field all the time. Then when we have your headscarf washed we can start repairing it and your uniform. You may be dressed like a soldier, but there's no reason you can't shine."

"Thank you, Sakura-chan. That's very kind of you." Katya packed up the things that were not in the rucksack and placed everything on top of the storage scroll like Shisui had shown her. Sakura performed the seal that enclosed the contents and the two women set out to launder the uniform and veil.

* * *

_ **Shisui** _

"Stop pacing," Itachi said from the bunk where he was lying.

"It's hard not to. I'm getting married in twelve hours."

"Getting cold feet, are we now, kouhai?" Kakashi jested from another bunk.

"No, no. I just want everything to be perfect. It's not fair to Kat that she's having to settle with some shotgun wedding just because it's easier for me to protect her that way." The young man ran his hand through his hair. "She deserves something grand and beautiful."

"Then make it meaningful, instead," the masked ninja hummed from the corner.

"That...was actually profound," the curly-haired Uchiha said, looking flabbergasted. Sasuke sat slack-jawed on his own bunk staring at his former sensei in befuddlement. Itachi had simply lifted one eyebrow.

"What, I can come up with great ideas on occasion."

"Iruka-sensei is rubbing off on you…" Sasuke shook his head while Kakashi's ears turned slightly pink.

"She asked that you stand in for her family along with Sakura-chan, Kakashi-senpai. Obviously Sasuke and Itachi will stand with me. Hmm...how to make it even more meaningful…" Shisui tapped his finger on his chin and sat down on his bunk. "I got it. Does anyone know where Bansai-dono went?"

* * *

_ **One hour before the wedding, Katya** _

"Are you sure that you won't consider a kimono, Katya-san? Even a dress? Or anything that's not… well... this?" Sakura asked worriedly. The blonde woman in front of her was dressed in the same uniform that she had worn when she fell into the Juubi battlefield. It was a digital-camouflage print covered in cargo pockets with her family's name on her right breast and 'US Army' on the left. Her country's flag was velcroed to the right shoulder pocket and her unit's insignia was on the left.

"I own the clothes on my back, Sakura-chan. I will not enter this marriage with anything else. Besides, Shisui's wearing his jounin uniform. I'm going to pray for a while, okay?"

"Hai… What the? Get out of here, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura screamed as the man entered the small guest house. "No men allowed!"

"No can do, Sakura-chan. You see, lover-boy is an incurable romantic who demanded that I bring you these since apparently he is not allowed to see you himself," Kakashi said as he lifted a small bouquet of blue morning glories. "He said something about it being your family's tradition to have flowers and something blue."

"Thank you, Kakashi-san. I appreciate it," Katya smiled at him before holding the small bouquet up to her nose.

"You had make-up on the frontlines?" Kakashi asked Sakura incredulously, as though the very idea offended his warrior sensibilities.

"Mascara never killed anyone. It's waterproof. Besides, look how gorgeous it makes her!"

Sakura had taken the bare essentials stowed away in a small make-up bag and performed a miracle. She had just enough gel to create a soft and smoothly braided chignon that was still within Katya's country's uniform regulation. For herself, the pink-haired woman had tamed her hair into a simplified version of the bride's. The medic-nin had taken one small tube of waterproof mascara and made it double as a liquid eyeliner. They had worked together and created a pot of red rouge out of berries they had found in the forest and a small amount of coconut oil from the monks.

"You do look very beautiful, Katya-san," the older man said with a closed-eye smile that made her blush.

"Thank you, Kakashi-san. As I was telling Sakura-chan, however, I do need to pray." The two shinobi nodded and Katya walked out of the guest house and knelt facing one of the scarred trees that remained in the courtyard. She pulled the wooden rosary out of her pocket and thumbed the scarred crucifix at the end, letting the weight of the beads spill out of her hand. She pulled out two photographs. The first was of Shisui and herself that had been taken a week previously when they stopped at a roadside teahouse. A photographer had been visiting at the same time, photographing the damage from the god-tree. Her fiance convinced the man to take a picture of them as well. The second photo was of her family that had traveled with her through two dimensions and thousands of miles. Katya slowly made the sign of the cross and prayed the first prayer.

"Dear Lord and our blessed Mother, I recite this decade for my grandmother that she may lie in the comfort of heaven." Katya recited the second set before beginning, "Dear Lord and our Blessed Mother, I recite this decade for my family at home that they may be at peace with their grief." It continued like this for the third set, "Dear Lord and our Blessed Mother, I recite this decade for my future husband that he may be safe from all that dare harm him." On the fourth set Katya remained silent for her intentions before completing the fifth, "Dear Lord and our Blessed Mother, I recite this decade in gratitude for finding my way to the man that completes me."

Katya finished her rosary and tucked it away in her pocket with the photos before placing hands in front of her and kneeling completely with her forehead almost touching the grass. "Father God, I beg you to lay a hedge of protection around Shisui. If it were to come to a choice between us, please, choose him. Saint Michael the Archangel, patron saint of soldiers, pray for us. Saint Valentine, patron saint of love and marriage, pray for us. Saint Nicholas, patron saint of brides, please pray for me to have the courage and stead-fastness that this relationship will need. Amen."

The former soldier got up and startled slightly when she saw that Sakura and Kakashi were standing behind her. The former had tears in her eyes that she wiped with the edge of her finger. The latter was standing silently with his hands in front of him and his head bowed as though he were in prayer to his own gods.

"It's time, Katya-san." The younger woman smiled at her and handed her the white lace headscarf they had washed and repaired that morning.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan." She smiled back at the young woman while placing the veil on her head in a practiced manner.

"That really is a lovely piece," The pinkette said while making minor adjustments.

* * *

_ **Shisui** _

"You are invoking the Amenominakanushi deity for your nuptials, correct?"

"Aa. It was grandfather's request. The rest of the kotoamatsukami deities will be in the secondary role."

"Right. I still hold reservations about this plan. However, here is the ribbon that you requested. Kakashi-senpai took the blue morning glories that you picked earlier. Sasuke sanitized a kunai for that strange ceremony. Is there anything else that you require? A kimono with an uchiwa, perhaps," Itachi said sarcastically.

"I'm wearing my jounin uniform, Itachi. No matter how scandalized you may be." The younger male huffed in response. "Kat's insisting on wearing her country's uniform, and I get her reasons behind it. There's no way I can be better dressed than she is."

Itachi sighed, "Here, at least wear a Konoha hitai-ate for your wedding." He handed his friend a hitai-ate that was attached to a finely woven blue fabric made from an absorbent blend of cotton and silk fibers. Shisui thanked him and smiled as his younger cousin tied the new hitai-ate around his head. The ANBU lieutenant commander pocketed the hitai-ate that said 'Shinobi' with plans to return it after the ceremony. "You really refuse to wear a kimono?" he asked again. The older man gave him a cheeky grin in return.

"Nii-san, cousin; Bansai-dono is ready," Sasuke said from the doorway.

Shisui smiled and the group of three Uchiha, dressed in spare jounin uniforms, walked to the front of the Kotoamatsukami shrine outside of the temple walls. It was an ancient structure. Its walls were covered in moss on the corners and the wood was dark with wood-stain that had been layered over the years. The building was small and a very tight fit for the seven people in attendance. The monks had been kind enough to decorate the railings and threshold with fresh bushclover, valerian and morning glories. The two monks that were not administering the rites sat meditating on either side of the entrance as the three men walked up.

"How are you going to burn the tsunakakushi after your vows if she's not wearing one?" Sasuke asked suddenly.

"Katya-san is not the type of woman to wear a tsunakakushi on her head in the first place, otouto," Itachi replied for his cousin. The eldest Uchiha was practically bouncing on his toes in excitement and looking towards the horizon. "In any case, that is an Uchiha custom. Our clan does that to symbolize the groom's acceptance of a woman's vow to become an obedient and gentle wife, as well as to prove the groom's prowess as a shinobi and his ability to become the protector of his family. Much like your first fireball jutsu makes you an adult, throwing the tsunakakushi into the air and performing the same makes you a husband. At least that is tradition. As is wearing a proper kimono." Itachi gave Shisui the side-eye.

"You're right. She wouldn't wear a tsunakakushi," the eldest Uchiha said with a grin, "Don't worry so much about tradition and ceremony, Itachi. A wedding doesn't make a marriage. There they are."

The Uchiha looked toward the top of the hill from the treeline that hid the small shrine. The first to approach was Kakashi as the male representative for Katya. He looked appropriately somber for the occasion, his Icha Icha was nowhere in sight and Shisui appreciated his effort. He was followed closely by Sakura who was ringing a small set of bells as she walked with the bride. Shisui was floored when he saw her. The uniform that she had arrived to their dimension in was clean and mended. The bouquet he had found earlier that morning of blue morning glories was in her hand.

He had not expected her to wear the delicate lace headscarf that was covering her hair. His smile grew wider and his eyes misted over. He knew that she was a traditional woman, but her declaration of modesty before his own gods and the promise of obedience towards him as her future spouse was unexpected. It was touching and heady that this proud woman believed in him and their relationship enough to say such a thing with her clothing choice. He could feel his cheeks begin to heat with a blush as she came in front of him. Everything else in the world faded away and it felt as though it was just the two of them in that moment. He reached up and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and trailed his fingers along the side of Katya's face.

"You look so beautiful," he said in awe. Her cheeks turned pink at his statement and he touched his forehead to hers. "Thank you," he whispered softly so that only she could hear while he felt the edge of the soft lace.

"I trust you. Please don't break it," she whispered back and kissed his palm as she caught his hand in hers.

"Never. It's us in every lifetime, Kat. You and me...living, loving, dying." One of the monks that were meditating beside the threshold conspicuously cleared his throat. Shisui looked slightly chastised as he offered his left arm to hers and she placed her hand in the crook of his elbow. She handed the small bouquet to Sakura before Shisui led them up the stairs to the inside of the shrine and the awaiting high monk, Bansai. They removed their combat boots and shinobi sandals before crossing onto the soft tatami mats that covered the floor of the shrine then sat on their knees in front of the altar.

The wizened old man completed the purification ritual with grace before reading the Norito that had been written the night before, "We are gathered here in the presence of the Kotoamatsukami and ask for the blessings of Amenominakanushi and Jehovah Shammah to look favorably upon this match as this couple moves forward with their days."

Katya turned her head sharply to look at Shisui at the mention of Jehovah Shammah. She was absolutely stunned that he had even remembered that her god had multiple names, let alone the appropriate name for the circumstances. (Jehovah Shammah meant 'the Lord is there'.) It had been ten years since she had mentioned them. Her eyes watered when she realized that he must have specifically asked the head-monk the night before to include her religion in the ceremony and probably argued for it, as well. All to remind her that her god was present here and would continue to be welcome and present in their marriage.

After a moment of silence the elderly monk placed three cups in front of the couple and filled them each with sake which they took turns sipping from. "This is to bless you on your journey through matrimony for the remainder of your lives," he said. "The groom has asked for the inclusion of a new tradition. If the groom's patriarch will come forward." Itachi moved forward silently and stood behind the couple. He brought out a thick silk ribbon and a spare roll of gauze that he folded into a square. Katya looked at him curiously while Shisui had a soft smile on his face at his bride's wonder.

"Katya-san, I believe in this ritual you go first." Itachi pulled a kunai from his pouch as he held Katya's small hand on top of his larger one that held the square of gauze. He cut a thin and shallow line. As the blood began to weep from the small cut he did the same to Shisui before laying Shisui's palm directly on hers. Itachi then began to cross the silk ribbon around their hands, tying them together for the remainder of the ceremony.

"Don't cry, love. Your traditions and beliefs are just as important to me. We're in this together," Shisui whispered. In a louder voice for the room's edification he added, "You said once that your grandparents had included this in their own ceremony. I hope I get these words right and that you know I mean them. You are blood of my blood. Bone of my bone. I give you my body that we two might be one. I give you my spirit until our life is done."

Katya's tears began to stream down her face as she tried to pull herself together. With a shaky voice she mirrored his vows, "You are blood of my blood. Bone of my bone. I give you my body that we two might be one. I give you my spirit until our life is done."

"Now you two will say your vows to the gods. If the groom will read the vows aloud." The monk handed an old scroll to Shisui who opened it and promptly began to read while noticeably adding a few words of his own.

"We make this marriage vow respectfully before the Amenominakanushi deity and Jehovah Shammah. We, Shisui Uchiha and Katya Miller are delighted to be able to make our vows on this great day, and to become husband and wife through the blessing of the Amenominakanushi deity and Jehovah Shammah. We swear before the Amenominakanushi deity and Jehovah Shammah to love and respect each other forever, and to strive to bring our family prosperity. Moreover, we swear never to veer from the true path of matrimony, and to work to share the divine grace of Amenominakanushi deity and Jehovah Shammah by helping people and society."

"Now do you, Katya Miller, for your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do you part?"

"I do." Katya wiped a stray tear from her eye as she looked up at her lover.

"And do you, Shisui Uchiha, for your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do you part?

"I do." Shisui's eyes watered and he could not stop smiling.

The monk handed him the heirloom ring he had intended for Katya. The feminine ring was platinum with a large sapphire in the center, surrounded by smaller diamonds. On either side of the sapphire were small red diamonds. The ring had been commissioned over three hundred years ago when his family had been in charge of the Uchiha Clan's finances and the clan as a whole had done well. The only generation that it had skipped were Shisui's parents. Kagami had refused to allow the precious family heirloom to fall into his son's hands, passing it instead, to his grandson.

Shisui placed the ring on his wife's hand with a giddy feeling. The priest similarly passed her the masculine wedding band that was made of black tungsten, sanded down so as not to reflect light. Katya smiled and placed it on her husband's finger and placed a hand on his cheek.

They picked up the sacred branch that had been placed in front of them ahead of time and stood. Together, they placed it on the altar and participated in the appropriate claps and bows for the gods and spirits of nature. Then bowing towards each other, Shisui threw tradition out the metaphorical window again when he interrupted his own bow and pulled his new wife close. Cradling her head with his right hand and her waist with the other, he kissed her passionately in front of gods, spirits, and mortal witnesses. Katya was taken by surprise before putting her hands on his waist and neck and whole-heartedly returning his kiss.

"Yare, yare, kouhai. You have all night for that," Kakashi heckled from behind them.

Shisui pulled away and traced Katya's lower lip with his thumb before smiling gently. The sake was passed around to the assembled witnesses to symbolize the joining of families, or in this case, representatives.

Bansai then clapped his hands together before announcing, "You are now husband and wife!" The assembled group stood and bowed before the elderly man before following Shisui and Katya out of the building.

* * *

**AN:**

Blue Morning Glories symbolize love that is bound to withstand eternity.

Valerian: to be strong

Bushclover: Unrequited love

The Kotoamatsukami are the original three gods of the Shinto religion. Amenominakanushi is part of those three and is called the first kami and source of the universe.

Description of the kotoamatsukami shrine is based on the izumo-taisha shrine in Japan.

Uchiwa is the little fan that the Uchiha clan uses in their family crest.

Tsunakakushi: is the traditional white headwear that a shinto bride wears.

Okay so a crap ton of research went into how a shinto wedding would look like if it was mixed with christian traditions. And I gotta tell ya'll that there was not much out there that was written in English (understandably). That being said, I hope you enjoyed reading it and I hope that it comes across as respectfully done rather than tacky.

General Sources:

The line, "It's us in every lifetime, Kat. You and me...living, loving, dying." is actually from rp memes on tumblr as one of the writing prompts.

The scroll that Shisui reads from: /shinto_is/wedding/the_marriage_

Wikipedia; always lovelies ;)

Updated: 19 May 2020


	6. Home

* * *

Chapter 6 Beta'ed by: CherryBerry12

* * *

Katya was sitting on the couch in their living room, wrapped in a throw blanket when Shisui walked in the door. He took a moment to smile at the scene he walked into. His once spartan apartment now had colorful blankets and throw pillows everywhere. They had only been living together for five weeks but at least three of the blankets that had shown up in their apartment had been made by Katya. He asked why she was always starting a new project and in reply she said that she liked to keep her hands busy. More the fool him, as she made her crochet and knit projects look fast and easy, but when he tried all he ended up with was a misshapen dishcloth that he was still trying to complete several weeks later even after copying her motions with the Sharingan. The air in his apartment no longer smelled stale and slightly musty when he came home at night; instead it smelled like pine trees and peppermint from what she had said were 'seasonal scents for winter.' Other things appeared in his apartment that he had no clue existed until she moved in. Like multi-ply toilet paper—he had no idea how much nicer it was than single-ply, but she made him a believer.

Katya was sitting on the couch in their living room, wrapped in a throw blanket when Shisui walked in the door. He took a moment to smile at the scene he walked into. She was wearing his hoodie from the KMPF that dwarfed her figure, and an older pair of training shorts, had her hair thrown back into a lazy bun with her tortoise glasses on her face. He noticed the open package of strawberry pocky to the side of a cold mug of tea with open scrolls and books strewn across their coffee table.

"Tadaima," he said, kissing her head. She jumped causing the book on education methods to go flying. He readily caught it and handed it to her, an amused expression on his face.

"Jesus, Shisui, give me a heart attack why don't ya."

"Mm. Not my intention. Thank you for the bento; it was delicious," he responded nuzzling the side of her head and walking towards their kitchen.

"Oh, yeah you're welcome. I'm glad you liked it. I probably won't have time to do things like that come January. Jeez, is it really five?" she asked, looking at her watch.

"Have you even moved today?"

"Uhm...maybe...I think…" she looked off in thought, "I did have to go to the bedroom to get that pile over there. I'm just really nervous and excited at the same time. I want to do well on the test tomorrow and they don't normally hire civilian teachers. That's what Iruka-senpai said when I applied for my teaching license."

He shrugged. "They only really need chuunin instructors to mold young minds into thinking like shinobi and acting like it. You'll be working with experienced genin and chuunin."

"It's still not a guaranteed thing, ya know. I still have to prove that I can both teach and do math. I think it's some guy from R&D that's going to give me a verbal test for the math portion…"

"You're nervous about that."

"Not all of us can be a social butterfly. I can stand to teach in front of people because I'm comfortable with the content. If it were any other setting where I have to stand and give a public speech, I'd probably run away screaming." She got up and wrapped her arms around him while kissing his shoulder blade. "Anyway, what about you, how was your day?" she asked, releasing him and pulling out a cutting board.

"Can I help?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, cut those squash into slices, please." Katya started rummaging around the cabinet before pulling out two onions and a head of garlic and placing them on the counter. She pulled out two bowls from the fridge and put them next to the stove.

"Uh Kat, why is there a big bowl of corn and...soy?"

"Oh, we're making succotash. I met a merchant a couple of days ago who had a whole cart of corn so I bought a few ears. I read this book in between study sessions about shinobi nutrition. I figured it'd be best if I didn't try to starve you." She turned and kissed his cheek, "Succotash is high in protein and vitamins, minerals. We have that leftover river-fish and biscuits from yesterday."

"How do you want this?" he asked, holding up an onion.

"Medium-dice, please," she responded, taking a clove of garlic and smashing it. She turned on the stove and added oil. While waiting for it to heat, she turned around to the sink and began to rinse the cherry tomatoes that she had found the day before in the market, and pulled the fish from the refrigerator.

Shisui wrapped his arms around her waist from behind when he had finished with the onion and kissed her neck. "I'm going to check the mail. I'll be back in a second." He walked downstairs to the mailboxes and saw his neighbor, Genma Shiranui.

"You look like shit," Shisui said with a smirk, leaning casually against the wall.

"Hardy har har. I was just released from guarding the daimyo. Dumb pricks have zero survival skills."

"That sucks that they made you go back to guard him."

"Yeah well, not everyone can talk for six hours about what to call a stupid medal. I swear to all the kami that if I have to hear the Stone Daimyo speak one more time, I'll kill him myself."

"From what I hear, that would make some of the stone shinobi very happy. Who knows, they may even give you your own personalized medal," Shisui responded with a wry grin. "If you're hungry you should come to my apartment. My wife's making dinner."

"Wha-? Wife? You married?" Genma stuttered, almost dropping his senbon.

"Yeah, wife. We married on the way back to Konoha." Shisui said casually. He hoisted Genma's mission pack over his shoulder as they made their way up the stairs.

"Shit, man. Congratulations. Raido's going to be mad though. We had a betting pool going on."

"Yeah, I heard about that. I guess all of you in the tower had a pool going about why I stopped taking honey-trap missions."

"No one just stops taking those, man. Especially when you can use genjutsu to get the job done. They have to have a reason. I guess this was it? Raido bet that it was because you and Itachi were in a relationship."

"Nope. Just the standard bromancing that we've been doing for years. Her name is Katya. We've been together for a year. She's a civilian though, that's why it's been quiet."

"Oh, I see." Genma nodded in understanding.

"She doesn't. She's not from around here. It's even worse because where she's from, she was a soldier. Not a shinobi. It's been difficult trying to get it into her head that she's more vulnerable here than she thinks she is."

"But if she was a soldier, she knows taijutsu then, right?"

"Sometimes I wish she did. But, no, her people relied on firearms," Genma grimaced at that. Shisui opened the door to the apartment and motioned for Genma to come in. "Tadaima!"

"Okaeri...again?" Katya responded raising an eyebrow at Genma, who waved awkwardly. "Um. Hi."

"Kat, this is Genma. Genma, this is my wife, Katya."

"Nice to meet you." Katya responded quietly, extending a hand in his direction. "Uhm. I didn't realize they left shinobi in mailboxes, Shisui-_kun_," she said a bit sharper than she had intended.

Shisui rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Genma just got off a mission, he's staying for dinner."

"Right... It'll just be a bit longer than I had planned. I'll make some fresh biscuits. Let me…" she started muttering to herself while reducing heat and putting together the dough as quick as she could.

"Maybe I should go?" Genma whispered to Shisui as they walked to the living room.

"Don't worry about it. She's just shy. Do you want some tea or water?"

"Yeah, sure. If you're sure, man. I know you've left out a lot about where she's from, what was that about?"

"You're such a gossip, Shiranui." Genma shrugged in response; he was used to getting partial stories anyway.

"It's ready," Katya's soft voice called from the dining area as the two men got up. Genma raised an eyebrow in Shisui's direction when he saw that she put out forks and spoons instead of chopsticks. Shisui gave him another noncommittal shrug as he helped carry the dishes to the table. He copped a feel on the way out of the kitchen that made Katya give him a small smile in return.

"Sorry about the silverware, it's just easier to eat succotash with a fork than it is with chopsticks. I can get you a pair, if you'd like, Genma-san." Katya said quietly.

"No, this is great. Thank you, Katya-san." The rest of the dinner was spent in companionable silence.

"Thank you for dinner, sweetheart, it was delicious."

"Yeah, that was really good. Can't say I've had something like that...ever." Genma raised a suspicious glance at Shisui. As well-traveled as he was, he knew that he was missing a major piece of the puzzle of where this woman originated from. It seemed, however, that Shisui was playing a game with him. The object of the game, he surmised, was to figure out what was probably an S-rank secret without looking anything up or asking questions.

"Hey, Kat, do we have any of that cake left?" Shisui asked her, noticing Genma's glance and giving him a satisfied grin.

"Yeah I think so. I'll go cut some up." Katya responded, not missing the undercurrent in the room.

"So where's she really from? Her accent is strange, her food has a weird mix of vegetables that are never served together anywhere and she doesn't dress like other civilian women on the continent," Genma asked as soon as she left. "She's not from the elemental nations, or from any of the islands associated with mist."

"Classified."

"Why let me in? I mean usually you and your cousin keep your secrets to yourself."

"Because, Itachi and I have several potential missions coming up and you don't take ANBU missions anymore." 'Because you don't normally leave the village,' was left unsaid.

"We're in a time of peace, how do you both have missions coming up?"

"Not everyone in the Uchiha clan was happy with our decision to 're-brand'. We've had a couple of deserters. That fact can't leave this apartment, though."

"I understand. I'll keep an eye out when I can."

"Thanks, Genma. I appreciate it."

Katya walked back into the room as they finished up and noted their serious faces. She set a piece of cake in front of each of them. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Genma-san. I hope to see you again." She looked at Shisui questioningly before squeezing his shoulder, "I'm going to go ahead and get ready for the night, I have that test in the morning."

Later that night she rolled over when Shisui entered the room and slipped his arm around her waist. "So what was that all about? You never did tell me how your day went."

"Mm. Can't get anything past you. I was telling him about the deserters and the upcoming missions. He's going to keep an eye on you when I'm gone."

"I don't need a babysitter, Shisui." Katya snapped. "And a little warning next time we have a dinner guest would be nice."

"I know you don't. It would make me feel more comfortable though. Especially with the clan situation being as it is. Um, Kat, if you see an Uchiha with light brown hair named Inabi, stay away from him, okay? He's bad news. He broke a civilian's arm today during an arrest and had to be given an official reprimand."

Katya sighed and ran her hand on Shisui's arm. "I'm guessing he made an outright threat or you wouldn't be saying anything. How about a compromise, then? Instead of having someone follow me around all the time you can just send one of the crows. Would that be better?"

"It's better than nothing," Shisui replied neutrally. "Just make sure to set up the traps when you get home, okay?"

"It's a deal, then. I'll set up the traps, take care of a bird and stay away from Uchihas with light brown hair." Katya had started to turn Shisui onto his back while she climbed on top of him. "Anything else? You looked stressed when you came home."

"Mm. You are a very distracting woman," he replied as she held his hand above his head and started kissing down his neck. "Work is basically paperwork hell. Fugaku left behind so many unfinished cases and personnel files before the war. And of course there's a lot of dissention...still. Oh kami woman…"

"Keep talking, or I'll stop," Katya said saucily in response as she looked up from the waistband of his boxers. Shisui groaned in response.

"You're gonna kill me," he grunted as she started rubbing his member through the cloth of his underwear.

"What a way to go, though. Now talk. Get it all out." Shisui made it halfway through telling Katya about his paperwork hell before he lost control and took charge of their bedroom activities. It wasn't until later that night as they cuddled together, replete, that he realized he was a lot less stressed than he had been earlier that evening. 'Yeah, I'm a lucky man,' he thought as he tucked his wife in closer and fell asleep.

* * *

** _Two Weeks Later, Konoha_ **

Katya was tying scarf-mitten sets to lamp-posts around the poorer districts in Konoha, each set tagged with a note that said, "free to good home."

"I still do not understand why you feel it necessary to help with others' nests," Shisui's crow summons sneered from his perch on her shoulder.

"It's snowing outside, Yata. We are fortunate enough to have a roof over our heads, a warm place to sleep at night and food to eat. I have a valuable skill-set in being able to teach advanced math and Shisui is an elite jounin. Many have come to Konoha as refugees. War always destroys people's livelihoods, homes and families. Most of these refugees don't have anything left. Even the skills that they bring with them are obsolete here. They won't be able to afford winter clothing without struggling and the Konoha government can only help so much, as they're still fixing the damage from the last year. There's nothing wrong with a kind act, Yata. I'm sure even a distinguished corvid such as yourself can understand that compassion can only bring about the best in humanity."

Katya tied the last set to a lamp-post and began to head to the yarn shop. They were half-way to the yarn shop when the bird began shuddering violently. She tucked Yata into her coat to try and warm him, but when the shuddering did not subside she began to run towards the emergency veterinarian office that Shisui had pointed out on their morning run. When she made it to the building, the corvid began coughing. Katya looked around the small office panicked when she didn't see anyone. A large white dog ambled out of the backroom and gave her a small bark before motioning with his head to follow her.

She was greeted by a woman approximately two years younger than herself with her hair in a low ponytail and fang tattoos on her cheeks, wearing a white medic coat. "Good job, Hai," she said, patting the ninken's head. "Hello, I'm Hana Inuzuka. I'm on call as the emergency veterinarian today. What's the problem?"

"I don't know. He just started shaking horrendously and then started all of this coughing and wheezing as soon as we got into the office. We were only outside for two hours. I don't understand what could possibly be wrong with him," Katya said, attempting to control her anxiety. She didn't think that Shisui would be particularly upset about the bird's illness, but Itachi would. "It was only two hours and he was on my shoulder the entire time…" Hana's hands began to glow green as she checked the crow's vital signs.

"Well, that's awfully strange. Nothing appears to be wrong. Perhaps I should check his temperature manually." Katya noticed an amused smirk appeared on the younger woman's face as she pulled out a small thermometer and lubricant. Yata squawked in indignation.

"You will do no such thing, **human**! I was merely cold and bored with today's activities. I demand recompense for my services!" Yata screeched in Hana's face.

Hana laughed in response and patted his head, causing him to try and peck her finger. Hai began to growl at the bird in warning who then ceased his assault. "Well, I think that's your problem. Is he your summons?"

"Oh, no. My husband is his summoner."

"I see. Well, he is a little low on chakra. But otherwise, perfectly healthy. I would recommend keeping him closer to your husband so that he can regain some of that lost chakra. That might be why he feels colder than he would normally," Hana dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "also might be why he's an irritable git."

Katya giggled, "Shisui is on a mission right now. Is there another alternative?"

"Oh, Shisui Uchiha? I used to run missions with him. That was years ago though. Anyway, yes, you can offer…" Hana gestured to the bird.

"Yata."

"You can offer Yata a heated pad to lay on. He probably should be limited on how much sugar he intakes. His diet in our world is very different than his diet in the summoning dimension, I'd imagine. Did Shisui tell you what to feed him?"

"Um. No, he didn't. Yata doesn't like Shisui very much, so he pretty much summoned him then threw him at me."

"Yup, that sounds like something he'd do. I wonder what he did to offend his summons...anyway...Let me look it up to be sure, but I believe that crows generally need a lot of protein in their diets compared to other birds." Hana pulled out a large book labeled 'Avian Diets.' "Let's see...corvid...not magpie...not raven...Oh here it is, went right past it. So this recommends, 'oatmeal, egg yolks, dog or cat food'" Yata scoffed in indignation as Hana ignored him and continued, "raw beef heart or kidney, any kind of nut is good, fruit, worms, snails, whole grains. Oh here's a list of do-nots, I'll write that down for you."

"Thank you, Hana-san. I appreciate it. He's been demanding candied blueberries and almonds. I suspected that it wasn't very good for him, but he was insistent and said that summons have different diets than regular animals of the same species."

"Well that's not true. I feed my triplets the same dog food that they sell in the pet store for active dogs."

"I have no regrets for fooling your human minds," Yata stated as he fluffed his feathers and turned his face away from them as though he were a king.

"You're not going to be very useful to your summoners if you're overweight and out of shape, ya know," Hana said, poking the black bird with her pen.

"I am not a combat crow. I merely observe and report," he replied haughtily. Hana and Katya laughed as the bird huffed again and began to walk around the table.

"We'll send the bill to the Uchiha clan. That's what we normally do with their summons, if that's okay."

"Oh, so I don't need to pay you right now?"

"Nah, I'll send the bill to Itachi. I like sending him paperwork. It makes my day to trap him with as many numbers as possible. Especially when I get to imagine the confused look on his face," Hana smiled gleefully and rubbed her hands together as she plotted. "I make them as confusing as possible, just to make him work at reading it."

"That's evil, but so funny." Katya laughed with her. Somewhere to the north of Fire country, Itachi sneezed.

* * *

** _North of Fire Country_ **

Shisui and Itachi had been tracking an assumed Uchiha deserter which led them to a cave of white Zetsus shells. They had been on his trail for two days and still had not been able to find the traitor. The trail ended just shy of Sound Country, at a small cave opening that barely stuck out of the ground. They crawled into the entrance that emptied out in a sudden drop to an ante-chamber that was twenty feet from the opening. As they ventured further into the cave, they found the root system of an ancient gods-tree. The roots came out of the ground and wound around the rock formations. Shisui could barely make out the outline of a body in the corner of the chamber but the metallic scent of old blood hung in the air.

As Shisui moved closer to inspect the presumed corpse it shot up into a seated position while turning its head towards Shisui. The long collar of the traditional Uchiha shirt did nothing to hide its featureless face, if it could even be called a face. He could not see a nose, mouth or brow line; it was as though it had been erased. Two black holes sunk into where the eyes should have been stared sightlessly at him. Shisui approached the figure. Before he could speak, however, it jumped up from the ground and headed in Shisui's direction before he shunshined away.

"...destroy...old...soul...pair...destroy," the cavern echoed as the old root system groaned and began to aim towards them.

"Katon: Phoenix Flame!" Shisui yelled.

"Amaterasu!" Itachi pulled Shisui back as they ran out of the anteroom. Shisui slapped his hand on Itachi's shoulder and teleported them to the outside entrance.

"What the fuck was that?" Shisui exclaimed when they had made it to the outside of the cave.

"I have not seen or read anything like that before," Itachi panted, "But it was wearing an uchiwa on its shirt. I will assume that was our deserter."

"You okay? I thought they cleared you for missions."

"I just need to catch my breath. I will be fine."

"Amaterasu was a bit of an overkill, don't you think? Sakura-chan's gonna kill you now for messing up your eyes after she just fixed them." Shisui offered his canteen to Itachi who gratefully accepted.

"Nothing gets back up from Amaterasu. We could not be sure that a regular katon jutsu would work."

"Right. It couldn't be that you feel cooped up on the village and wanted to use a ridiculously overpowered technique. Nope, not at all." Itachi gave Shisui a knowing smirk, in response. "Well, let's mark the cave and make Sasu-chan come back out here to check in a week."

"He really dislikes it when you call him that."

"That's why I do it," Shisui grinned.

Itachi and Shisui jumped into the trees and took off until they reached the nearest ANBU outpost. As they sat down to take a break Shisui took out a storage scroll and pulled out a container full of cookies. He held it out to Itachi and the two ANBU members that occupied the post. Itachi took one hesitantly.

"What is this?" the younger Uchiha asked, looking at it dubiously.

"Uh. I don't really know. Kat made them. She said something about messing with ratios and adding protein powder. They're definitely some kind of cookie, though," Shisui shrugged.

"Helpful." Itachi took a tentative bite. "That is actually...not bad."

"Yeah it's oatmeal and dried cranberries. I like them. They feel more filling and taste better than a ration bar, anyway."

"What'd you think, Hayate?" Shisui directed his question to the ANBU on his right.

"Oh come on, Uchiha. We're wearing masks for a reason," the ANBU member replied.

"Yeah and seeing as you're stationed with your lover, you probably only put them on for show," Shisui said mischievously.

"Well, she is one of the best sensors in the village," Hayate responded proudly, while taking off his mask and shoving another cookie in his mouth.

"Honestly, Hayate-kun put your mask back on before you get a reprimand in your file," the cat-masked ANBU chided.

"Eh, Itachi isn't going to reprimand me. He takes his mask off on missions all the time. Have a cookie. Relax. Besides, from what I've heard he's already buried in paperwork. He's not about to add more."

"ANBU are truly the worst gossips in the village," Itachi said bleakly.

* * *

_ Extra: _

"Tadaima!" Shisui called out into his apartment two days later.

"Okaeri!" Katya replied, greeting him with a kiss. Shisui walked into the living room and noticed a portly bird roosting contentedly on a heating pad in a small cat bed. He looked again and was shocked when he realized that the plump bird was Yata.

"You're looking awfully plump for having been summoned over two weeks ago, Yata." The bird in question removed himself from his perch and landed on Shisui's shoulder and proceeded to peck at his head before he dismissed him.

"Well, that's what you get for being rude." His wife hid a smile behind her hand before reclaiming her seat on the couch.

"Damn bird. That hurt," Shisui griped.

* * *

AN: A good succotash is a seasonal late summer dish. It's basically a mix of whatever vegetables you have on hand and sauteed. Personally, I serve it with kielbasa sausage and biscuits. Which btw, if you've never made biscuits from scratch, you should. The best recipe is from New York Times. But Alton Brown is always amazing. It literally should only take you maybe 3 minutes with a food processor to prep, and it's so much better than that pillsbury (pre-made biscuit dough) crap.

Chapter Published: 19 Nov 19


	7. And...Begin!

* * *

Chapter 7 Beta'ed by: CherryBerry12

* * *

** _Mid-January, Konoha_ **

"Come on, Kat, get up. You said you were willing to start training with us," Shisui nagged from the head of their bed. Katya pulled the blankets over her head and groaned.

"I didn't think you'd take it seriously," Katya mumbled from underneath the covers. "Besides, the blankets have assimilated me into their culture and if I leave now I'll lose their trust."

"Uh huh, come on baby, you said you'd be the guinea pig." Shisui snaked a hand underneath the blanket and set it on her back.

"SHIIIITTTTT! Ice cube hand!" Katya squealed. "What'd you do, roll around in the snow for two hours?" Shisui smirked.

"No. I, unlike others, have been awake since five a.m. and training. You look pretty awake now," he said smugly. "Come on, I made you the good coffee and Itachi said he'd go easy on you." Katya grumbled in response before flopping out of bed.

"With the good creamer?"

"Of course, but you may have to hurry before he drinks it all." Katya hurried out of bed and threw on her warmest work-out clothes before entering the living room. Itachi was sitting on the couch, enjoying coffee Shisui had brought back from the Land of Tea on his last mission. Shisui put a warm mug in her hands as she joined the younger man on the couch.

"You both do realize that I'm still considered to be in better shape than the average civilian woman, right?" Katya started. Itachi put his mug down on a coaster.

"Yes, we know. But you do not have yang chakra nor do you have shinobi reflexes from training. The fact that you are in shape, as you say, makes you the ideal candidate to test this program on. It will reduce the likelihood of you becoming injured," Itachi said.

"Besides, if it's too difficult for you, then it'll definitely be too difficult for our target audience. You already know the basics of self-defense against other civilians; we're just trying to make it possible for a civilian woman to defend against both civilian and shinobi advances. At least until help can arrive," Shisui added.

"Ya know back in my world the police used to do this kind of thing all the time. I think they called it R.A.D. or something like that. Catchy name. Did you guys at least think to name _your_ project?" Katya questioned, taking a long drink from her coffee.

"Well...the name isn't so important. We just want to see if it works," Shisui rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Right...well let's get on with having my ass kicked then." Katya stood up and grabbed all three coffee mugs and rinsed them out before heading towards the door. She looked at the two men expectantly before they got up and led the way to the Uchiha dojo. "God, it's too early for this. And it's freezing."

"What gave that away, was it the ice on the light-posts or the snow on the ground?" Itachi asked, raising one eyebrow.

"So funny…" Katya replied flatly, removing her shoes at the dojo entrance. "Can I leave my socks on?"

"Uh, I guess. That's kind of weird though," Shisui replied with a shrug. He clapped his hands together and turned around, "Right, so Kat you can go ahead and stand in the middle and Itachi is going to be the attacker." Itachi looked slightly bewildered for a moment before he settled and did as the elder asked. Katya just looked pissed.

"Seriously Shisui? That is not what I agreed to. You said that a clone would be the attacker. Not Itachi. A. CLONE! I have class today, I can't look like a bruised peach on my first day of class! How will that inspire respect? Besides with self-defense the first place I go for is the groin. I'm not sure that Itachi wants to deal with that at seven in the morning." Katya waved her hand towards Itachi and was further irritated to find that he looked as unflappable as ever, as though her threat to rack him was empty.

"Come on sweetheart. I doubt you could even land a hit on him much less reduce his capacity to have children. If you're really that unsure about all this, we could just go home," Shisui goaded. He knew his wife was a proud woman and would not turn down a challenge.

"Never said I was going to quit. I was just saying that I don't want to hurt poor Itachi over there," Katya responded haughtily. 'No wonder she and that damn bird get along so well,' Shisui sweatdropped. Itachi looked amused at her statement and stood up.

"Just try your best, gishi-chan," Itachi stated calmly, riling Katya up even further. He walked over slowly and put his hands on her shoulders. Katya looked at Shisui for instructions.

"Oh yeah, sorry, I've never seen him move that slowly before," Shisui shrugged off his fascination. Katya scowled at him. "Okay so now you're going to try and dislodge his grip off of your shoulders while Itachi is going to maintain the hold."

"Those are terrible instructions, Shisui. Also in a real self-defense class his hands would be in a choke-hold," Katya groused.

"There's a reason I'm not your opponent, Kat. The sharingan does things to people's protective instincts, and I need it on right now to see how you both are reacting. Don't ask me to watch my best friend put you in a chokehold," Shisui said seriously from the sideline. Katya's eyes softened when she looked back at Shisui.

"I know, love. I'm sorry for being a grouch." Itachi cleared his throat and waited for Shisui's signal to begin. At his signal, Katya locked her hands on Itachi's wrist while dropping her body weight and attempting to kick him in the groin. In response he kicked up from the ground and blocked her kick with his own legs while maintaining his hold.

"Break! Okay, Itachi you moved slightly faster than a civilian would have in that instance. Slow it down a bit so we can have a better simulation." Itachi nodded at Shisui while resetting his hold. Katya sighed and looked at the clock, 'Only 45 more minutes left.'

* * *

** _2 hours later_ **

"I'm going to head into the KMPF, are you sure you're okay?" Shisui asked gently from the bathroom door.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just sore in my...everywhere really. Looks like just going on a run with you every other morning hasn't kept me in shape at all. I haven't done hand-to-hand in like...at least 6 months…" Katya moaned from the bathtub. "Can you just make sure there's one of those protein bars on the counter, please?"

"Yeah, I can do that. Itachi and I will probably go over everything later. If you're feeling sore, then we can't really say that it'd be self-defense training for civilians. We'll have to think it over. I love you, have a good day." Shisui gave her a kiss before leaving the warm apartment.

"Come on, Kat. You've been in this tub for thirty minutes. Time to get a move on." Katya tried to motivate herself into moving. "All right, you have a class in two hours, you need to get up, let's go." Katya put both arms on the side of the tub before hooking a leg over pathetically and rolling out. She landed on her hands and knees and grabbed the towel rack to hoist herself into a standing position and shrugging on a bathrobe. "Right. Now to the kitchen." Katya grabbed hold of the wall before making her way to the kitchen on quivering legs.

"That looked rather sad, human," a familiar voice squawked from the kitchen table causing Katya to jump.

"Jesus, Yata. I didn't even see you there."

"Yes, well, I am unfortunately contract-bound to that ill-bred oaf. He has requested that I attend class with you, barring any summons from Itachi-sama, of course."

"Why do you like Itachi so much, Yata?"

"Itachi-sama is the perfect crow summoner. He is most observant and displays intelligence, sophistication, and occasional ruthlessness."

"Right. And you think that Shisui is none of those things? It almost sounds like you have a small crush on Itachi, Yata." Yata flew up and pecked Katya's head lightly as she walked back into the bedroom to change.

"Shisui is all of those things except ruthless. Would you like to know how I know, human?" Yata drawled.

"Sure, go ahead," Katya said distractedly as she began to look for a knit sweater and skirt.

"Shisui has not taken a human life in over ten years. He destroys his enemy's memories instead."

"That's not a bad thing, ya know." Katya sniped while looking for socks in the dresser. "Besides, Itachi basically specializes in assassinations while Shisui focuses on the village's defense. They're two entirely different things."

"Yes, but I know for a fact that Shisui's mate has taken more human lives than he in the last decade. This makes him a rather defective male," the bird said smugly.

"Having compassion for one's enemies is not a defect and you can't possibly know that for a fact," Katya stated with conviction.

"Oh. But I do. I received the Mangekyo eye. I see many things in the summons' dimension. It is why that sentimental oaf chose me to watch you."

Katya sighed, "I assumed as much. He told me the other eye was given to one of the crows. It would only make sense that he would choose that bird, you, to sound the alarm if something were to happen. By the way, I only killed three people. It haunts me. Not exactly a show of ruthlessness."

"Ah, but you did so to protect your murder. Or as you humans would call it, your squad. That is ruthless, and I thoroughly approve," Yata preened. Katya sighed again, the bird would never understand. He would never understand that she was haunted day and night by those three. They were at war, yes, but surely there was another solution that did not end in the death of someone else's loved one even if that loved one was her enemy. The three she had killed had been part of a planned attack on the base she and her squad were stationed in. In war it was kill or be killed, but somehow Shisui had managed to keep his hands clean. Katya had only wished that she had been able to do the same. She had made a promise to her grandmother on her deathbed to stay alive and to keep those under her command alive. That was the only reason she was able to even look in the mirror.

Katya gathered her books and accordion folder and placed them into a knapsack. She pulled on her heavy coat, boots and mittens and headed to the academy building. Her first class started at eleven and she wanted to get the student records from Iruka before that. It was a slow walk, there was snow piled up on the sidewalk and the half-melted ice everywhere made for a precarious journey. She only slipped once, which had earned an indignant squawk from the bird on her shoulder. They stopped at the small teahouse one block from the academy and picked up two chai tea lattes and one chamomile tea. They continued their precarious walk and entered into the warm building.

She spotted Iruka Umino and immediately tried to wave at him, "Ah, Good Morning, Iruka-senpai!" Iruka noticed the unbalanced drinks, bird and bag and came over to help. "The one on the left is actually for you, senpai. I didn't know what you liked so I got you a chai tea latte. They're really good."

"Thank you, Katya-san. That's very kind of you," he replied, the tips of his ears turning pink. "I'm assuming you're here to get settled into your office and look at your students' records?"

"You're welcome. And yes, I am. Although, I'm not sure where my office is at the moment."

"I'm your mentor, so it's near mine. Here we are. I'll be back in an hour to show you the assigned seminar room." Iruka pulled out the key to the small office and handed it to Katya. He then rustled through the paperwork he was carrying and placed a stack on the desk. "Those are your students' records."

"Great. Thank you so much, senpai. I appreciate it," Katya said quietly. She walked into the small room at set down the drinks and backpack. Opening the chamomile tea and setting it next to the small heated pad that she bought for Yata, she took stock of the room. It was small with bland beige paint on the walls and had an old wooden desk with a matching bookcase that had seen better days. It really was par for the course as far as an adjunct professor's offices went. This particular office had a window, however, which was a significant improvement from her last office. Katya noticed that the small space did not have a white board and resolved to find one for the wall as soon as possible. Especially as she was now responsible for three separate calculus classes and one differential equations class.

She started to flip through the records. It was as Shisui and Iruka had both told her, they were all experienced genin and chuunin shinobi. The records even stated their reason for taking the class. Most of them listed it as needed for advancement into research and development, however there were a few medical-nin listed. There were two names, however, that stood out. Sakura Haruno and Eiji Ueda. Sakura stood out because Katya had erroneously assumed that she had already taken some form of differential equations to be a medic-nin. Eiji Ueda, on the other hand, had taken the basic calculus course twice already and had failed both times when the late chuunin-sensei, Riku Watanabe, had taught it. Riku-sensei's notes stated that Eiji had no potential for the subject but continued to pursue it in order to enter into the lower-tier of R&D, as was expected of his family. He was a nineteen year old chuunin that worked in supply during the fourth shinobi war. 'Hopefully he is not feeling too terribly resentful this time around,' Katya thought to herself.

There was a soft knock on the door. She shuffled the papers together and locked them in her desk. Grabbing her lesson plan for the basic calculus class, she looked back at Yata who appeared more content with his heating pad, tea and berries than actually fulfilling his summoner's request. She sighed and walked with Iruka to the seminar hall. There were approximately twenty-five shinobi in this class with an equal mix of gender and rank. She set down her lesson plan and markers as Iruka introduced her.

"Hello. This is Katya Uchiha-sensei, she is a new civilian instructor but will be treated with respect or you will be kicked out of the program as per Hokage-sama's directive on civilian instructors." Iruka gave her a kind smile while the class began murmuring.

"Doesn't look like any Uchiha I've seen…"

"Tch...civilians…"

"Will she even know how to teach?"

"But she's so short…"

"Silence, if you please," Katya said sternly commanding the class attention, standing in front of the desk with her arms crossed. "As Iruka-sensei has said, my name is Katya Uchiha. It appears that you have some doubts and concerns, so allow me to address them so that we can move on. I have been teaching physics and mathematics at the university level for four years. I specialize in a branch of physics called particle physics, which is what I received both of my degrees in. I am 163 cm tall, which is the average height for a woman by the way." The last remark earned her some abashed looks. "I have above average hearing and do not appreciate interruptions during lecture. You may address me as Katya-sensei or Uchiha-sensei. Any variant of that is discouraged in this setting. If you have a comment, concern or question please raise your hand rather than blurting it out. Now are there any comments, questions or concerns before I hand out the syllabus, or are you lot done questioning my competence?" The class shook their heads and there were a few muttered "No, ma'ams" sprinkled throughout.

"Excellent." Katya passed out stacks of the syllabus to each row, then went to the desk again. "Please look over and review this syllabus thoroughly, you will notice that the office hours vary by day of the week. If you have questions over assignments or grades you may address it at those scheduled times. This is a basic calculus course, but I may refer to it as Calculus I. Are there any questions over the syllabus?" she paused for a moment before continuing, "assignments will be due on the dates listed in the attached course outline and the exam schedule is rigid. The only acceptable excuses for a missed exam are emergency mission assignments and hospitalization. This stipulation has been approved by the academy headmaster if you would like to contest it.

"We will begin with an assessment test of your previous knowledge so that I may appropriately gauge where you are at as a class and recommend tutoring depending on individual circumstances." She began to pass out the exams that contained a variety of trigonometric, algebraic and calculus-based questions. She smiled to herself as there were groans throughout the room when she returned to the front. "Oh, and you will notice that every single exam is unique. I didn't marry into a shinobi clan and learn nothing," she added with a cheeky wink.

* * *

**AN:** Sorry for the way late post. I will endeavor to update more often.

R.A.D: Rape aggression defense system. It's basically self-defense martial arts at it's most basic level. Youtube it, if you don't know what it looks like. It's very helpful. As Ms. Congeniality says, "Remember to SING! Solar plexus, Instep, Nose, Groin." Keep your thumb on the outside of your fist when throwing a punch. And when you are under attack, make noise. LOTS of noise.

Gishi-chan: little sister-in-law

Chapter Published: 4 March 2020


	8. PTSD and Genjutsu

* * *

Chapter 8 Beta'ed by: CherryBerry12

**Warning: Mentions of PTSD during the course of this chapter**

* * *

_ **April, Konoha** _

It had been two months since Katya had started teaching again and five months since she had landed in this alternate universe. Time seemed irrelevant as she buried herself in a routine. Wake up, workout, bathe, work, come home and repeat. The monotony kept her sane for some time, but over the last month it seemed that her analytical mind was focused on solving the mystery of her being there. She didn't want to focus on it; instead, she focused on spending time with her spouse, new friends and work. But through the din of monotonous routine questions sprung up from the recesses of her mind.

'_Will we ever get back?'_

_'Do we even want to?'_

_'What happened on the last patrol?'_

_'Is Kyle still alive? Do we even want to know?'_

The 'I don't know's' became louder in her head and competed for attention against the latent post-traumatic stress from her last deployment. The Army shrinks handed out PTSD diagnoses like candy, trusting the veteran's affairs and civilian health care systems to pick up the broken pieces of a service member's mind. After all, what good would it do to take the time to make the correct diagnosis on an active service member who would be sent to the frontline regardless of what was actually wrong with them.

While Shisui was away on a mission she woke up with a suppressed scream from her nightmares. The week before she left on the fateful patrol that changed the trajectory of her life was terrible. The FOB had been the target of RPG attacks in the course of three days. On the fourth day the enemy had begun their assault. They had overrun the entire operation, forcing her to evacuate with her squad into a nearby village.

During the course of their retreat was the first time that she had killed someone...and the second. She hadn't even thought about it, had simply aimed and pulled the trigger as the insurgent aimed his own weapon at her team. The second time had been even easier. They had found a small cave to hole up in near the dusty village as they waited for reinforcements. After forty hours of running on adrenaline and terror she had finally succumbed to a light sleep. Her mind kept replaying the words of Scarlett O'Hara: 'I'll think about that tomorrow.'

Two hours later, she felt as though the air around her had been disturbed. Her gut instinct told her to move further into the cave system. Before she could issue the command to her four-man squad a man came up from behind Kyle and held him at gun-point. Yelling for them to get out of the cave or Kyle would die. Katya put down her weapons in that moment and told him that she would make the better hostage, that all he had to do was let Kyle go. The man hesitated for a moment before Katya had the chance to sink her Gerber into his neck, severing his carotid artery and trachea at the same time, disabling his scream.

They stored the man's body in the back of the cold cavern while they hid, waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Their only communication was their distress beacon with a GPS locator. The four of them sat quietly for a week with dying hope as they realized the blinking red light was growing dimmer with every passing hour. Katya refused to think about the three lives she had taken. 'I'll think about that tomorrow' had somehow become her new mantra.

Tomorrow had now arrived, and she could not _**stop**_ thinking about it. The feel of the blood spurting from the arterial wound. The sound of her blade unfolding. If she looked hard enough she could almost see the splatters of blood on the blade that had traveled with her through dimensions. She could not stop hearing the gurgled noises as the unknown man drowned in his own blood or the smell that filled the cave with his decomposition. Katya had suspected that Shisui knew what she was thinking about, or at least had an idea. He was more gentle than ever with her. He didn't ask her to practice the self-defense moves they had been working on. He sharpened his kunai and tanto in his office rather than at home when he noticed the 'schink' sound of the blade was bothering her. He made noise when he was behind her to make his presence known. She knew that sooner rather than later he was going to ask what was on her mind, but she didn't want to think about that either. He had his own demons to deal with and didn't need her to add to them.

Katya woke up to another day groggy from the lack of sleep. She fumbled through her morning routine and vaguely understood that Yata would be staying in the summons' realm for the week. For the first time in two months she entered the academy without the grumpy crow. The entire day felt off, for reasons that she didn't quite understand. She was almost relieved when it was time for her office hours. Katya relished spending the time quietly in her office, grading papers. She barely registered the knock on the office door before Eiji Ueda walked in to discuss his failing grades in calculus, again. With an inward groan of exasperation she motioned him to enter the office.

This was the third time in the same week that he had tried to convince her to change his grade on the latest test. The first time he saw her he tried to charm her into changing the grade. The second time he tried to manipulate her by saying how disappointed his family would be if she didn't change the grade. To say the least, she was dreading whatever angle he would try this time. All he needed to do was actually study the material and he would do well. The problem was that he refused to try. He was adamantly against any sort of tutoring session. It appeared he even had problems with joining his peers' study group.

"Hello, Katya-sensei. I want to take a moment to discuss my grade."

"This is the third time this week that you have done so, Eiji-san. I have already thoroughly explained your options to you. You can attend tutoring, join a study group or retake this course; however, I will not assign you a grade that you have not earned." Katya fixed a thoroughly unimpressed glare at the chuunin as a red blush of anger crept it's way up the side of his neck.

"This is already the third damn time I've taken this course! You have to let me pass!" Eiji slammed his palm on her desk in emphasis. The whole scene reminded Katya of a toddler that she used to babysit for her grandmother's neighbors. The nineteen-year-old chuunin outwardly calmed himself down for a moment before painting a half smile on his face that no doubt had charmed others. He was about to speak again when Katya interrupted him:

"As I said, Eiji-san: I will not assign you a grade that you have not earned in this course. If you continue to force the issue I will drop you from this course and ban your return. Now, leave." Eiji gave her a cold stare as Katya returned his look with a blank one of her own.

The moment before he exited the doorway the entire room started to blur at the edges and her head began to pound with the worst migraine she had ever experienced. She walked to Iruka's office while leaning on the wall to stay upright. The hallway felt like it was rocking beneath her feet. Spots danced before her eyes before she collapsed in front of his open office door, just as he was walking out. Katya felt the trap master catching her before completely losing consciousness.

* * *

** _Shisui_ **

Shisui walked into his apartment after a day of meeting with the upper echelons of Konoha's ANBU to determine changes in security protocols following Itachi's inauguration. He was surprised to see a toad casually sitting on his coffee table eating from _his_ candy dish. Shisui felt his eyebrow tick with annoyance towards one unruly blond Uzumaki.

"Oh, you're home," the toad said slowly, its cheeks stuffed with hard candies.

"I am. May I ask why you're here?" he replied, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

"Boss said to tell you your wife fainted. He and Iruka brought her home a couple of hours ago." The toad flicked out his tongue for another candy. "Oh, and he wanted to ask her to help him out with some of the fraction stuff when she gets better."

"Thanks. You can go now, you know."

"I know. You buy good candy. Ja ne!" The toad replied, dismissing itself with a puff of smoke. 'That's because I get it straight from the Land of Tea…' Shisui thought to himself as he walked to the bedroom, mourning the loss of his imported candies. He wasn't that alarmed by the fact that his wife fainted, as he suspected it was just the chakra sensitivity; especially if she was tutoring Naruto. The teenager had more chakra in his pinky finger than the majority of shinobi used in a lifetime.

Whimpering sounds came from behind the bed as his wife thrashed around in her sleep.

"Leave him alone!" Katya said in a breathless whisper as her legs kicked out, hiking up her work skirt to an indecent height.

"Ah, shit," Shisui said from the doorway, scrubbing his hand over his face. It wasn't the first time that he had seen Katya in the midst of a night terror. On the contrary, they had been steadily increasing since she arrived. He knew better than to try and startle her awake; he removed his weaponry and placed it into the chest at the end of the bed before crawling in beside his wife, pinning her arms and legs with his own as he steadily rocked her. Thirty minutes had passed before she finally went still and began to stir.

"Shisui?" Katya whispered groggily into the darkened room.

"Yeah, right here. I'm here for you, sweetheart," came the quiet reply from the warm arms holding her. "You know you need to talk about it. If you let it settle it will only fester."

"I know...not tonight though…"

* * *

** _Katya_ **

The next day Katya felt as though she were walking in a fog. She started to see the men she had killed in the strangest of places: at the end of alleyways, sitting in the coffee shop, in the back of her classroom. At the end of the day the phantoms had started to talk to her. They crowded around her until she could scarcely move while she was working at the white dropped the marker she was holding and placed her hands over her ears.

"You could have taken us out another waay. We had families."

"I was blackmailed into it. How could you kill me?"

"I was only sixteen. You knew how to do a non-lethal take-down!" The third ghost screamed at her. Its face started to bleed from the bullet wound in its forehead.

"Stop...please...stop…" Katya whimpered as she started to move to the floor. The door to the room opened as she began to hyperventilate.

"Katya-san, are you okay?" Iruka asked slowly as he started to approach the young math professor. He placed his hand on her shoulder to get her attention. She grabbed his hand and twisted his arm behind his back, shoving him bodily into the whiteboard, her eyes seemingly glazed over. "Katya-san...I need you to relax. Okay, Katya-san. Katya-san, you are safe here, you can let go." Iruka kept repeating her name, recognizing a PTSD-induced panic attack.

With a shake of her head she came back to herself and looked at the position they were in with growing horror in her eyes. Katya released Iruka as though she had been burned. She backed up to the door in the same instant, shaking her hands in front of her and saying, "I'm sorry," over and over again as she ran out of the classroom.

* * *

** _Shisui_ **

Shisui was in the Hokage's office working with Kakashi and Itachi about the new changes they wanted to implement for village security when Iruka, of all people, walked in looking concerned.

"Hokage-sama, I need to report that one of my civilian instructors has been placed under a genjutsu," the harried instructor stated. Itachi inclined his head for Iruka to continue his story. "The instructor was talking to herself with her hands over her ears and seemed to be in the midst of a panic attack when I walked in. The moment I put my hand on her shoulder, she attacked and pushed me against the blackboard."

"That sounds more like post-traumatic stress than genjutsu," Kakashi stated blandly from the corner. "You said it was a civilian instructor, though?"

"Yes, Katya Uchiha. The new math…" Iruka wasn't able to finish before Shisui had shunshined out of the office to find his wife. "Is he okay?"

"Apparently, his wife is not." Kakashi flipped another page of his book, taking advantage of the unexpected break in paperwork.

"Where did you say she went to, Iruka-san?" The new Hokage asked politely.

"I didn't, she just ran out of the classroom." Itachi nodded and left the office, intent on stopping his best friend from ripping apart the village to look for his missing soulmate. He tracked down Shisui's chakra signature to the far side of the village near the Nakano River.

* * *

Shisui activated his sharingan, watching his wife huddle against the base of a tree in the forest with her hands on her ears. Her chakra flow was irregular and indicated that she was clearly under the effects of a long-term genjutsu. Every time that he came close to her she startled and backed away as if she didn't recognize him.

"Hey Kat, I know that you're probably seeing and hearing some stuff right now, but I need you to listen to my voice and calm down. I need to touch you to get this to stop, okay?" Shisui moved slowly and placed his hands in front of him in a placating motion as he cursed inwardly at his wife's glassy eyes. Usually he wasn't one for vengeance but at the moment it was starting to sound like an excellent option. Whoever had put his wife under this hack of a genjutsu was going to regret it. Katya stayed still as he approached and ended the genjutsu.

The effect was immediate. The voices and phantoms that had multiplied since she ran out of the academy disappeared. She felt as though she could breathe again as the cloud of fear dissipated.

"Thank you," Katya whispered as she put her forehead on Shisui's chest. A few minutes passed as Shisui and Katya rocked together underneath the tree in the gathering dusk. She gave a small nod to indicate that she was ready to move before saying, "Mm. Your arms are comfortable…" She mumbled while drifting off to sleep, comfortable and content to lay underneath the forest canopy with her husband.

"Oi, you need to stay awake babe. You need your head examined to make sure nothing was permanently damaged." Katya made a small noise of assent before they stood up.

"I attacked Iruka...I need to go apologize. And I really really hate hospitals..."

"He's a nice guy; he'll understand. At the moment, it's more important to get you checked out by a medic." Shisui teleported them to the hospital before she could protest and stopped in front of a surprised Shizune. "Hey, Shizune. You don't mind taking a look at Katya, do you?"

"Uh, no, I guess not. I have five minutes." Shizune motioned for them to follow her as she walked into an empty examination room. "What's the problem?"

"I guess I was under a genjutsu and seeing dead people...well and hearing them…" Shisui gave Katya a significant look so that she would elaborate on that. "Oh, fine. And they multiplied exponentially throughout the day." He nodded, satisfied before adding his own opinion that, as a genjutsu expert, it was shoddy and incomplete work, also likely that it was meant to be long-term. Shizune began to run through the diagnostic jutsus and was taken aback at how Katya's chakra coils felt.

"Well, you're not wrong." Shizune sat back with a sigh. "Katya-san, you're chakra sensitive. When you were under the genjutsu it blew open your tenketsu, causing your once closed off chakra system to open. Because you're in your mid-twenties, this caused damage to the tenketsu that were forced open. You're very lucky to still be breathing, this kind of damage usually results in a fatality. I'd recommend not attempting to use any sort of chakra and to take it easy for the next couple of weeks, or you could cause further damage."

Shisui grimaced and rubbed his face with his hands roughly. Shizune continued, "Now we do this to academy students all the time if they're unable to mold chakra. But they're under the age of seven when their coils are developing. You, on the other hand, already had an overabundance of yin chakra for some reason or another and your coils are already developed. It is strange, though."

"What is?" Katya asked.

"Your chakra is somewhat similar to Tsunade-sama's. Almost as though you were a cousin. Are you sure you're not related to a Senju?"

"Shizune-san, you know that's impossible." Shizune hummed back noncommittally, indicating she was done with the exam.

"I would say don't mold chakra for the next day. But seeing as you've never purposely done so, I don't imagine that is a problem. Although, if you wanted you would be able to now."

Shisui flashed his sharingan to look at Katya's chakra which was moving sluggishly throughout her system, rather than at a standstill between the tenketsu. 'Well, there's something positive with someone's botched genjutsu.'

* * *

The next day Shisui walked up to the academy doors and took a calming breath before entering his wife's classroom. She had been very adamant about returning as soon as possible to prove a point. What that point may be, he still didn't know. Probably some kind of woman-power thing. One thing he knew about his Katya was that she refused to look or be weak in front of anybody. He and her cousin, Taylor, had been the only exceptions.

Katya looked startled when he knocked on the door and poked his head in the full room.

"Shisui?" She asked, confused.

"Aa. I'm sorry to interrupt. May I have a moment to speak to your class, please?" Shisui asked, now fully immersed in his chief of police persona. Katya gave him a slight nod but otherwise said nothing as Shisui moved to the front of the room and leaned back on the desk.

"Some of you may be aware that Katya Uchiha is a _civilian_ academy instructor. As a civilian she is fully entitled to the laws that protect civilians from shinobi within our village. As an academy instructor she is further protected from students that wish to abuse their own power. Now with saying this, Katya Uchiha was attacked this last week by a genjutsu that myself and Hokage-sama believe was cast by someone in this class." Shisui pushed chakra into his eyes to activate his sharingan as some of the newer shinobi squirmed slightly. "Now, I feel it necessary as the chief of the Uchiha Military Police to remind you of the penalties for attacking a civilian instructor. It is a minimum of ten years in jail after awaiting the pleasure of T&I. However, if the perpetrator were to come forward now they may receive leniency." Shisui focused his gaze on a brown-haired chuunin that looked distinctly uncomfortable. The chuunin's chakra was agitated, which indicated to the veteran police chief that the chuunin was hiding something.

"No one wants to come forward, then? Wonderful. I don't mind interrogating everyone in this class," Shisui said lackadaisically, crossing his arms over his chest in an intimidating manner that he was sure would have made his late uncle Fugaku proud. "Can you wait in your office, tsuma-chan?" He asked Katya, who gave a slight nod and touched his arm briefly before walking out. The experienced shinobi in the room tensed at the implied threat. It was one thing for him to be present because a random civilian was attacked, but his own wife? There were less than four shinobi in the world that would be able to stop Shunshin no Shisui if he wanted to go on a homicidal rampage, after all. Two of those shinobi would feel less than compelled to do so, if they thought he was justified.

"Oh shit, someone really messed up," one of the genin in the middle of the class murmured to their neighbor.

"Who would be stupid enough to try casting a genjutsu on shunshin no Shisui's wife?" The other whispered back.

* * *

**AN:** Posted 1 April 2020

Tsuma-chan: an affectionate way of speaking to one's own wife.

FOB: Forward operating base

RPG: Rocket-propelled Grenade

Scarlett O'Hara: From Gone with the Wind

Gerber: Larger utility folding knife that's issued in the US Army.

A small blurb about PTSD (as always, disclaimer: not a physician; just a lowly physicist): PTSD is not exclusive to combat, many things can trigger it including but not limited to: sexual trauma, physical trauma, childbirth trauma, serious health issues, serious accidents, mass murder, torture etc… ( .uk/conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/causes/) If you suspect that you or a loved one has PTSD or some other mental illness contact your primary care physician, mental health professional, priest, experienced clergy member. If you or a loved one is having thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself contact a suicide hotline (listed below). The most important thing in times of mental health crises is to reach out and know that you're not alone. Ending things permanently does not and will never make things better.

US Suicide hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Canada Suicide hotline: 1-833-456-4566

UK Suicide hotline: Apparently is unavailable due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Online chat: /chat/


	9. Arrest

Chapter 9 Beta'ed by: CherryBerry12

* * *

"Now, as I was saying; I have a warrant from the Hokage's office to interrogate everyone in this class." Shisui pulled a scroll from his pocket and smacked it on the desk. A man wearing dark sunglasses and a military police uniform walked into the room, a slight buzzing coming from his direction. "Officer Aburame." Shisui greeted with a nod.

"Uchiha-taichou," the Aburame bowed his head slightly towards the Chief of Police before looking stoically at the assembled students. "I will place a kikaichu on each of you. Why? To monitor heart rates as well as to study fluctuations in your chakra that will determine the honesty of your answers." The insects flew from his hand and settled on each of the shinobi in the room.

"Excellent. Now let's begin." Shisui clapped his hands together while settling red eyes on the students in a strained mockery of a gleeful expression. "Did you place Katya Uchiha under a genjutsu?" The Aburame shook his head that there were no changes as the class answered in unison, 'No'. "Alright. Next question, do you know who placed Katya Uchiha under a genjutsu?" The other officer nodded his head and pointed towards the brown haired chuunin in the front row who started sweating profusely when Shisui settled his gaze menacingly on him. He clenched his fists before continuing. "Last question, were you a participant or immediate beneficiary of her being placed under a genjutsu?" The Aburame officer shook his head with a final no as Shisui gave him a nod to recall his six-legged allies.

"Officer Aburame, please take the chuunin into custody."

"Hai."

At that moment in time Shisui did not trust himself to not kill the implicated chuunin outright or to use unnecessary force in his arrest. He'd like to say that he was a calm man who never lost his temper, but that would be a lie. He was learning quickly that when it came to a certain blonde female that his protective instincts went hay-wire and overrode reason.

'Perhaps this is how Itachi feels when it comes to Sasuke…' he mused, 'it would explain why he overlooks things he shouldn't...like his brother's desire to destroy Konoha once upon a time. Oh hell, would I destroy Konoha to keep Katya safe?' Shisui wasn't sure that he wanted to know the answer to that question and immediately cut the train of thought when his subordinate and the suspect walked past him and out of the classroom.

"Have a nice day; your professor will be back momentarily." Shisui strolled out of the room and turned to Katya's office while reviewing the attendance log that had been left on her desk. "Ah, hells," he accidentally said aloud when he realized that one student had been missing. Eiji Ueda… He leaned against the door frame as he silently watched his wife mark the test papers in front of her. "How are you feeling?"

"Just a little tired. You worry too much, love." She smiled at him and got up to stretch as he walked in and put a hand around her waist. "Are you done then?"

"Yeah. They're all yours, unless you want to go home. Which you definitely can, there's nothing wrong with that." he added, a little too eagerly.

"I told you this morning that I had to come back to school, Shisui. There's no point in loafing around the house. I feel fine. Just a small headache, honestly."

"Are you sure that you don't want me to summon Kosuke?"

"No, thank you. I don't want to make Yata jealous. And he would be if you summoned Kosuke for guard duty. Seriously, love, go to work. I am fine."

"Okay then. I'll see you at home. I love you." He pressed his forehead to hers and kissed her softly before shunshinning to the Hokage's office. He smirked when he noticed that the new ANBU guard flinched slightly at his sudden arrival. "You'll need to work on that, Agent Owl."

"Hai, taichou."

Shisui walked through the office doorway and found a slightly frazzled Itachi hunched over a small mountain of paperwork.

"Why? Why are there so many expense reports? They just do not stop." Itachi muttered to himself causing Shisui to chuckle. "I fail to see how this is funny. They are multiplying. Every time I leave the office with an empty desk it is automatically refilled. This has to be a jutsu. It is not possible for there to be this much paperwork in the entire village."

"Aren't you supposed to be helping him, senpai?" Shisui asked Kakashi as the elder lounged on a sofa.

"I am moral support for today. Sometimes I read aloud for our esteemed hokage's benefit," came the lazy reply from behind a copy of Icha Icha Tactics.

Itachi sighed exasperatedly, "In truth, I do not feel morally supported." Itachi ran a hand through his hair before looking at his cousin, "Please tell me you did not kill anyone."

"Nah, I didn't kill anyone...yet. One of the students was missing and I need another warrant to go question him individually." Shisui threw the folded warrant to Itachi who immediately signed it and threw it back towards him.

"Do not forget what we discussed, Shisui."

"Yare, yare. Of course not, 'Tachi-chan." The elder shinobi replied flippantly as he walked out of the Hokage's office.

* * *

_ **Before the Interrogation** _

"_Our clan still needs to repair its reputation in the eyes of Konoha shinobi." Itachi said as he sipped tea from his thermos and watched as the sun crested above the waterfall of the Nakano River. "You need to be very careful with this investigation and not get carried away. All of the appropriate legalities must be followed."_

"_I know, Itachi. I'm not going to put myself or the clan in a position that will make the village question our integrity. I had planned on using one of the non-Uchiha officers as the primary interrogator as well as the arresting officer." Shisui sighed. "I am able to seperate the shinobi from the man, ya know."_

"_I have my doubts as to whether or not that is actually true. You may even be lying to yourself in that aspect. You used to be able to seperate yourself, but now that Katya is here with you, you have had difficulty in doing so."_

"_Sometimes your eyes see too much. I haven't done anything that would compromise my integrity as a shinobi of Konoha."_

"_Yet," came the quiet reply from the Sixth Hokage. Itachi smiled ruefully to himself. "I think that the amount of love you have for Katya probably rivals the amount I have for Sasuke. Of course they are different types of love, but even so. You would be blinded to any sort of trouble she could cause for you or the village."_

"_Katya would never hurt this village. We are both similar in that our most defining trait is loyalty."_

"_I suppose that will do. I am concerned about the lengths that you would go to protect her. From what you have been able to gather, her soul doesn't belong to one of these worlds that we have seen. I suspect that if she is not an enemy from another universe (though I still hold reservations) then I would say that she does not belong in our world as she is now. Perhaps souls are able to be shared or split across multiple folded dimensions. I know as much as you would like to refute the possibility, it remains that she may be similar to the Otsutsuki."_

"_Hm. 'As she is now'...I've had a similar theory for some time. Shizune all but confirmed it when she said that Kat's chakra is similar to Tsunade's. I don't know how, and it shouldn't be possible, but somehow her soul was taken from this world and placed in hers before she was even born. She's not an enemy, Itachi. If anything, she's the victim of someone's experimentation with multi-dimensional forces."_

_Itachi took another sip from his thermos before responding. "Aa. After all we have learned in the past decade, I would not put it on the list of impossible. Improbable, yes. But it is the only theory that is remotely possible, if what you say is true. After all, seeing you jump from this cliff we are sitting on and return not moments later fully restored certainly was improbable as well._

"_Shisui, do not overdo it with this investigation." Shisui gave a small nod in response. The two Uchiha sat in silence for a moment before gathering up their sparring equipment and returning to the village._

* * *

_ **Present Time** _

The genin at the front desk of the police headquarters handed Shisui an interrogation report the moment he walked through the doors. Explaining calmly and trying not to panic at the normally calm and happy man's furious expression, the genin said it was the interrogation report from the chuunin who was apprehended earlier. The investigation was carried out by Inabi Uchiha.

* * *

_Intelligence Report_

_To: Chief Shisui Uchiha_ _DTG: 3 Mar 72 1045_

_From: Officer Inabi Uchiha_ _Report No.: 287567_

_Subject: Isamu Ueda_

_Activity: Suspect arrived for interrogation at 3 Mar 72 1010. Brought in by Officer Daichi Aburame. Sharingan was used to study irregularities that indicate untruthful answers to interrogation. Genjutsu tactics deployed to encourage true and complete answers. Suspect claimed that his cousin, Eiji Ueda, cast a genjutsu on one civilian, Katya Uchiha. Suspect says Eiji Ueda's reason for casting one is "the Uchiha slut won't change his damn grade so that he can pass and now he was going to force her." Suspect indicates that Eiji Ueda's attempted genjutsu was meant to be long term in order to compel civilian instructor to raise his grade gradually over time to avoid suspicion. Suspect did not come forward with information voluntarily due to fear of bodily harm._

_Location: KMPH Interrogation Room 5_

_Unit: Officer Inabi Uchiha supervised by Officer Daichi Aburame_

_Time: 1020_

_Equipment: Sharingan, genjutsu and kikaichu used._

_Remarks: None_

* * *

When Shisui was done reading the report he handed over the arrest warrant to the genin. The genin left immediately to pass the warrant on to a chuunin police officer. Shisui went to his office and closed the blinds before exhaling loudly and rubbing his eyes. As much as he wanted to, he could not be a part of this investigation. There wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that he'd be impartial or that he wouldn't be tempted to break Eiji Ueda's jaw...and nose...maybe a rib or five. He probably didn't need his liver to function too well in prison, right? Shisui tore himself away from the thoughts of revenge that popped up in his mind as he took another deep breath, exhaled, and opened his office window for some fresh air before sitting down to work. An hour later he heard a knock at the door and unlocked it to find the desk genin handing him another interrogation report.

"It's the interrogation for Eiji Ueda, Shisui-taichou." The genin looked timid as he shuffled his feet slightly and wiped his nose with a handkerchief.

"Thanks, kid. Sorry for being gruff earlier. It's Udon, right?" The genin adjusted his glasses and nodded his head. "You're on profession rotation, I'm guessing?"

"Yes, sir. This is my second rotation to the KMPH."

"Well, we're happy to have you here, Udon. I've noticed over the last couple of days that you're a very hard worker."

"Thank you, sir!" The genin beamed at him before scuttling back to the front desk.

* * *

_Intelligence Report_

_To: Chief Shisui Uchiha_ _DTG: 3 Mar 72 1145_

_From: Officer Inabi Uchiha_ _Report No.: 287569_

_Subject: Eiji Ueda_

_Activity: Suspect arrived for interrogation at 3 Mar 72 1100. Brought in by Officer Tekka Uchiha. Sharingan was used to study irregularities that indicate untruthful answers to interrogation. Genjutsu tactics deployed to encourage true and complete answers. Suspect refused to answer initial interview questions. Level two interrogation genjutsu tactics deployed to make suspect compliant. Suspect relented and confessed to being guilty of casting a genjutsu on one civilian, Katya Uchiha on 1 Mar 72. Suspect claims to have done so due to his concern about loss of standing in his clan should he not pass the civilian instructor, Katya Uchiha's, class. Suspect placed in holding cells in KMPH awaiting Hokage-sama's verdict and sentence._

_Location: KMPH Interrogation Room 8_

_Unit: Officer Inabi Uchiha supervised by Officer Daichi Aburame_

_Time: 1120_

_Equipment: Sharingan, genjutsu and kikaichu used._

_Remarks: Placed in holding cell 2_

* * *

Shisui was meditating in an attempt to keep his temper in check when he heard a knock on his office door. "Come in." He said with a final exhale as he got up from the ground and sat at his desk. "What can I do for you, Inabi-san?" he said, authority in his tone as Inabi Uchiha walked to the front of Shisui's desk.

"Shisui-taichou, I request to be taken off supervised interrogation and to return to normal duties."

"You broke a civilian suspect's arm, Inabi-san. If they hadn't been convicted of assault and battery then you would be arrested yourself and placed in jail for five years. You know the law. As Uchiha we can't afford to make mistakes, especially after the war. Your request is denied. Officer Aburame is a good supervisor, level-headed and calm under all circumstances. You would do well to learn from him."

"I've been a member of this police for longer than you have even been alive! You can't relegate me to being Aburame's junior partner! It's shameful for an Uchiha to be subjected to an outsider's authority!"

Shisui let out slow killing intent as he sat calmly at his desk with his hands folded in front of his face. "Listen, and listen well, _**Inabi Uchiha**_. This department is open and welcome to any and all Konoha shinobi who are able to pass our entrance exam. The Uchiha are not overlords that subjugate the populace. We are equal to the other clans of Konoha. We came very close to being annihilated altogether because a select few of our clan thought that way and started a Fourth Shinobi War. Should this attitude against others persist then you will be let go. Now leave." Inabi stormed out of Shisui's office, bumping Udon's shoulder as the genin walked to the door.

"Come in, Udon-kun."

"A mission scroll arrived for you, taichou." The genin handed the scroll to Shisui before walking out to join his two teammates for desk duty. In the quiet of his office Shisui sighed and rubbed his face. 'Of course Itachi wouldn't leave well enough alone.' Shisui opened the scroll detailing a mission to Suna. The assignment was to relay information regarding the blood prison and an armament alliance. The bottom of the scroll indicated that he had clan business to attend to as well during his mission. Sending chakra to his eyes, he read that Itachi wanted Shisui to check in with Sasuke in Grass Country on his way back from Suna. A trip to Suna would take a person on average three days. For him, however, it would only take one.

* * *

_ **Katya** _

"Tadaima!" Shisui hollered from the doorway.

"Okaeri…" Katya replied distractedly, flipping another paper from the top of her grading stack.

"Hmm...maybe we need to review this again…" she mumbled under her breath when Shisui surprised her with a kiss on her cheek. Katya looked at him and smiled. "You're home early. How was your day?"

"Aa, I have a mission to Suna. My day was...satisfying." Katya raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, and how was it satisfying, dearest husband?" she asked, abandoning her paperworking and going over to the couch to straddle him. "Can I make it even better?" She purred.

"Mm. I know you're joking, but you should be careful before I turn the tables on you." He flipped them over so that she was laying on the couch. Her legs were still around him as he hovered over her. He gave her a cocky smirk at her temporarily surprised face before running a hand up the outside of her thigh and under her shirt. "So Katya-sensei, I've been such a good student." He punctuated every word with the removal of a button on her shirt. Shisui gave Katya a predatory grin as her breathing quickened and her pupils dilated. "I do believe I am due for a re...ward. Damn it, Genma!" Katya looked confused at his change of attitude before she heard a knock at their door.

"Open up, Shisui. I know you're in there!" Genma hollered from the otherside of the front door.

"Go away, Genma. I'm busy!"

"Oh, now you're _busy_." The senbon-wielder said mockingly. Genma opened up their front door after picking the paltry lock. As the door swung wide open Katya squeaked and hurried to fix her shirt while Shisui threw a pillow from the couch towards Genma. "Sorry, Katya-san. Hokage-sama sent me to play messenger. He said, 'Tell Shisui that if he does not leave for Suna in the next twenty minutes then I will be very disappointed.' Oh, he also said, 'tell him that being in the midst of coitus will not excuse him.' And by the way, your home security sucks."

"Fine, I'll head out now. You can go back to pretending to guard Itachi, Genma." Shisui helped his wife up from the couch before checking the lock on the door. After determining that it would hold for the day that he'd be gone he nodded to himself before getting his go-bag. "Sorry, Kat. Next time."

"It's okay. It must be fairly urgent for him to obsess over it like this." Shisui shrugged in response.

"Maybe. Love you, babe. Lock the door." He kissed his wife gently and placed a hand on the back of her neck before touching his forehead to hers. Katya thought that she felt the hand on the back of her neck heat up momentarily before Shisui removed it. Katya sat on their couch for a moment before getting dressed to go to the Uchiha compound.

* * *

_ **KMPH Holding Cells** _

Eiji Ueda was not happy. He woke up that morning to find out that Shisui Uchiha, of all people, was on the hunt for whoever cast a genjutsu on Katya Uchiha, who apparently was the man's wife. When his cousin told him that one of the civilian instructors had a genjutsu placed on them Eiji just knew that it was her. He later overheard in the marketplace on his way to said Uchiha's class that she was the wife of Shunshin no Shisui, Shisui of the Mangekyo sharingan, Shisui **the** mother fucking genjutsu master of Konoha. The last title was very concerning, considering that the Hokage (who Eiji knew considered Shisui his right-hand man and best friend) was a genjutsu master himself. And now said famed shinobi was hunting for him...the failed chuunin who couldn't even pass a math class. Eiji felt like a dead man walking on the way back to the Ueda compound in a vain attempt to hide.

It had only been two hours before a uniformed officer from the KMPF knocked on the compound door and asked for him. The officer was professional and courteous, even as he handcuffed Eiji in chakra suppressant restraints and marched him through town. Eiji dreaded every single step as he walked closer to the KMPH. He knew that he was going to die or be sucked into some horrible genjutsu that would probably be worse than death. He didn't think his reasons for casting a genjutsu on a civilian would matter much to Shisui Uchiha. It wasn't like he could say, "Yeah, I cast the compulsion genjutsu on your wife to make her see me in a better light. Why, you ask? Well, you see I wanted to join the R&D department like the rest of my clan and to do that I needed a higher grade in calculus. Oh, and I also thought your wife has a nice ass and set of tits and wanted to compel her to sleep with me as an added bonus." Oh yes, Eiji could see that response going down quite nicely. Shisui would probably string him upside down by his toes and use him for target practice. Eiji could safely assume that Shisui was able to see the structure of his attempted genjutsu and probably already knew what Eiji had wanted out of it. Damn sharingan.

Eiji was led into an interrogation room with a blinding light overhead to await his death. He was very surprised when the door opened to reveal not Shisui Uchiha, but a different Uchiha officer and an Aburame officer instead. The interview was rather mundane. Eiji thought for one moment that he stood a chance of getting away with what he had done and decided to attempt to lie. For his efforts, he felt like he was being electrocuted in response. The interrogator had said the feeling was the level two interrogation genjutsu and that he would love to proceed with level three should Eiji continue to be dishonest. He then decided to admit the truth, that yes, he did place Katya Uchiha under that compulsion genjutsu. And yes, he did so because he was worried about his clan status. The chuunin really didn't see why they were making such a fuss over one stupid civilian woman. If anything, the civilians of the village should be on their knees thanking the shinobi for keeping them safe.

After the interview, Eiji was unceremoniously thrown into a holding cell and told he was to await Hokage-sama's verdict. Eiji was humiliated. He had caused a great personal offense to one of the elite shinobi of the village and said shinobi didn't even deign to confront him personally. Instead, he had sent his lackeys. It was obviously Katya's fault. The woman probably held the man's balls in her purse. All Eiji wanted was to join the research and development department like the rest of his family so that his father would stop haranguing him. If he had to hear one more lecture about improving their minor clan's standing through research he'd scream. Not that it'd matter now, he thought ruefully. That Uchiha slut probably kicked up such a fuss about being placed under a silly genjutsu. Really, it was her fault that his career was in tatters and that his clan's standing would be lessened. If she had just raised his grade the first time he had asked, then he wouldn't have had to resort to using the genjutsu.

The door to his cell opened suddenly to reveal a tall Uchiha officer with long brown hair and a permanent sneer on his face. Eiji recognized the man as one of his interrogators, Inabi Uchiha.

"What'd you want?" Eiji asked.

"Well, I had a thought." Inabi started in a bored drawl. "We have a similar problem, being one Shisui Uchiha. I dislike him personally, as do you. Well, at least you should. In any case, I'll leave this door open for the next five minutes."

"Why?"

"I just assumed that you were smart enough to want revenge on the woman who put you in here. Considering that Shisui, her beloved husband, is heading to Suna at this very moment, this is a most opportune time. It is interesting to note that she usually takes tea in the Uchiha compound with the other women around this time every couple of weeks. Of course, if you get caught then your sentence will be prolonged. But that's neither here nor there." Eiji sat in the dark of his cell for a moment after Inabi had left and contemplated the risks of leaving and becoming a rogue ninja. He already felt like he had nothing to lose and for the first time in his life he felt powerful and in control at just the thought of making this woman suffer for wronging him. He took the first step out of the door.

* * *

**AN:**

KMPF: Konoha Military Police Force

KMPH: Konoha Military Police Headquarters

If anyone's interested: the interrogation report was based off of a SALUTE report that's commonly used by NATO forces.

Please leave a review if you'd like to :-) Thank you for reading!

Posted: 14 April 2020


	10. Girls' Night Out

Chapter 10 Beta'ed by: the most gregarious and generous grammar-goddess: CherryBerry12

* * *

_**3 March 72, Konohagakure, Katya** _

Katya brought out the cedar kimono box and began to unwrap the washi paper surrounding the light green silk of her informal kimono. Every two weeks Mikoto Uchiha held an informal tea ceremony for the women of the clan. After the war, there were only twelve Uchiha clanswomen left. Shisui had mentioned that before the war their clan had numbered in the two hundreds. Today, five months after the war, they only had fifty. The war had not been kind to the elderly and women especially.

Before Pein's attack, several of the Uchiha kunoichi on active duty had been hunted and killed. Itachi and Shisui both suspected that it was to reduce morale as their desecrated corpses were found within days of being deceased. It was a well-known fact that the Uchiha were an isolated clan and unwelcoming of outsiders through marriage. Killing off the young women who would have been able to bear the next generation of sharingan wielders struck to the heart of the clan. Obito - or rather, Tobi - knew exactly which buttons to push to enrage his former clansmen and an enraged shinobi was a dead shinobi.

According to Shisui, Itachi had been beside himself with worry over his long-term definitely-not-shut-up-Shisui-girlfriend, Izumi. Even though he maintained a stoic face and many wouldn't have noticed, Shisui had known Itachi long enough to see the difference.

It had been a difficult time for their esteemed Hokage; he had almost died while fighting his younger brother not even two months before the killings had started. Itachi had, apparently, been hiding his corrosive and worsening lung disease for years. Shisui had been shocked at the state his best friend was in when he arrived at their battleground, only moments later. He said he had never moved so fast in his life than when he sprinted with Itachi back to Konoha after throwing an unconscious Sasuke at Kakashi like an after-thought. Tsunade had told them at the time that Itachi would most likely not live out the week due to the severe damage to his lung tissue. It was a true testament to the skills of Sakura Haruno that he survived at all.

Katya bound her breasts and put on the slip and nagajuban that went underneath the garment. This kimono was a family heirloom, Shisui's grandmother's. The light green silk was covered in silver embroidered birch branches that rose from the hem and thinned out towards the top of the shoulders. Katya had put a kimono on for the first time three months ago when Mikoto had decided to resume the clan women's biweekly tea. It had been quite the experience to learn the various parts of the ancient ritual. Katya was thankful to Izumi for having the foresight to show up at their apartment to teach her how to wear the traditional garb.

Katya put on the zori that went with the kimono and walked towards the Uchiha compound. It felt as though the tea ceremony went by quicker every time she attended. Today there were only seven women in Mikoto's home and it was easier to talk to them now that they had accepted her, albeit reluctantly. Katya had her suspicions that Mikoto may have intimidated them into putting their prejudice about outsiders aside. Mikoto was always very warm and reserved. It was quite easy to see where Itachi picked up the majority of his mannerisms. During tea the discussion turned to charity work and how the clan could volunteer its time to help others. The small group also discussed the communal vegetable garden and what they should do with the extra space that coming summer as three-fourths of the clan was now dead. It was a very morbid end to what had been a pleasant tea-time.

The blonde Uchiha was about to walk out of the compound when Izumi Uchiha stopped her and invited her out with Hana Inuzuka that night. Just as Katya accepted she saw shiny black feathers in the corner of her eye and turned to look at Yatagarasu sitting in a tree looking more regal than the Daimyo.

"Hey Yata!" Izumi greeted.

"Hi, Yata. Oh, I didn't know you knew each other, Izumi-chan." Katya smiled at them.

"Yup. Yata and I go way back. Itachi used to have him spy on me when I was out of the village. At the time I didn't get why this fat…" Yata made a coughing noise "...I mean beautiful and majestic crow was following me. But with his ANBU connections, Itachi knew that the enemy was specifically targeting our clan, even before Fugaku-sama (may he rest in peace) knew about it."

"Ah yes, I remember. Itachi-sama was most brilliant with that plan to keep his mate safe." Yata praised. Izumi's face turned tomato-red at that.

"He's not my mate…" The career chuunin squeaked.

"Oh sureeee he's not, Izumi-chan." Katya teased back, giving her a sly look, "Ne, Izumi-chan, I'm the eldest in our group, am I not?"

"Hai…" Izumi wasn't sure she liked where this conversation was heading.

"Well, as the eldest, I have to set a great example for you on how to catch a man! Yosh! Here's what we'll do, when Hana, you and I go out tonight we are going to get all gussied up. Of course, when I say we, I mean you and Hana."

"Oh, I don't know about that, Katya-chan… Itachi isn't really the jealous type..."

"Nonsense, every man to have ever existed has a jealous bone; even if very slight. So if we want him to make an overt move, all we need to do is dress you up like you're available. It'll be easy." Katya winked at Izumi and walked away leaving a stuttering brunette in her wake.

Katya arrived at her apartment and opened the window for Yata to enter. Moments later, as she struggled to untie the obi she was wearing, she heard a knock on the door and went to answer it. Hana Inuzuka stood calmly on the other side, surrounded by the mischievous Haimaru triplets. The veterinarian medic and her furry companions walked into Shisui and Katya's apartment and grinned slyly before speaking.

"So, I heard from one very worried Izumi that we are and I quote, 'Striving to make Itachi-kun jealous and force him to make a claiming move in public.' So, what I want to know is, how can I get in on ruffling Itachi-chan's feathers?" The canine user sounded overly excited at the prospect of messing with one of her dearest friends and rivals.

The black bird in the corner of the living room scoffed at the sight of the lumbering canines that had intruded on his sanctuary. "You will be unable to 'ruffle Itachi-sama's feathers,' as it were, medic."

"Yata, right? Are you laying off the candied blueberries?" The veterinarian asked, ignoring Katya's cut-off motion at that statement.

"Don't mention his weight, Hana! He gets touchy about it," she stage-whispered. The covid cawed indignantly in response and flew to his heated perch in the home office. The two women giggled at the bird's response while the dogs chuffed. "Oh, since you're here, do you mind lending a hand with this?" Katya gestured to the kimono that she was wearing.

"Not a problem. Ne, why are you wearing a kimono, anyway?"

"Oh, Mikoto-san hosts tea every other week for the Uchiha clanswomen. There was an elder that made a fuss about everyone wearing modern business attire instead of traditional garb to a tea ceremony, no matter how informal. The old lady said, 'We are nobility and we must act like it, even though some of our sons may have married riff-raff.' And well, I didn't want to cause a scene or anything so I politely agreed, even though I _know_ she was talking about me. And that's how I ended up wearing a kimono every couple weeks… even if up until a few months ago I never had done so."

"Wow the Uchiha clan really are almost as stuck-up as the Hyuuga."

The civilian shrugged noncommittally in response, "Sometimes I'd have to agree with you. But I really did like the look on Shisui's face when I came home with this on. It was his grandmother's. He told me it was part of the inheritance that his grandfather, Kagami-sama, left for him. I guess his father was disinherited entirely over something or other and everything passed to Shisui when he turned twenty."

"Huh, I wonder why Kagami-sama did that. Men are so easy to please sometimes. You're good for him, ya know. I've known both him and Itachi for a long time. Shisui smells happier with you around. His smiles are more genuine too."

Hana helped Katya to undress from the cumbersome outfit while they continued to talk about their plans for that night. They planned to attempt to kidnap Izumi and take her back to the Inuzuka compound and finish getting ready for their night out there. It was already six in the evening—if they left soon they would be able to be ready by eight. Katya threw on a pair of black cigarette pants and a silk blouse with a leather shoulder protector before slipping on an outrageously high pair of heels that Hana gave the side-eye to.

"You sure you're going to be able to walk in those?"

"Oh yeah, I can go all night." Hana looked skeptical in response but shrugged before the small crowd left the apartment. They made for an odd sight as they walked through the village with one woman in jounin garb, one in a modest going-out outfit, three ninken and one crow perched on one of their shoulders. The Uchiha who was guarding the entrance to the compound gave them an odd look before shaking his head, muttering about crazy clanswomen and returning to his duty of staring blankly into space and contemplating the meaning of life.

"Oh Izumi-chaaan," Hana said in a sing-song voice after she knocked on the door of the other brunette's apartment. "Come out and play, Izumi-chaaaan!"

"Good lord, Hana, don't make it weird." Katya chortled. Hana smirked. The two women heard muffled movement from the other side of the door before Izumi opened it for her two friends.

"We're just going out, right? No funny business?" Izumi said while giving a pointed look towards the math professor.

Katya placed her hand over her heart, "My dear, Izumi-chan, I would never ever get you into _too_ much trouble." Hana barked out a laugh in response as she grabbed the chuunin's arm and started tugging her down the apartment stairwell and towards the Inuzuka compound. None of the three women noticed that the smallest of the Haimaru triplet's nose twitched as he smelt a malicious presence near the Uchiha compound in the treeline. The canine shrugged off the disturbance as Uchiha business and lopped off towards his pack.

* * *

_ **7:30 PM, Inuzuka Compound** _

"Hana! That's such a hot outfit!" The math professor cooed at her friend as she held a dress up to herself.

"Yeah, I think this is the one for me, tonight," she responded. "Oi, Izumi, don't think we don't know you're trying to cover up in there!" Hana knocked on the bathroom door where their skittish friend was hiding.

"You guys, I don't think Itachi is going to like this at all…" came the reply from the other side. "It shows way too much! He's going to be mad!"

"Hey, Izumi, Itachi doesn't own you. He doesn't even know that he's been dating you for the last…" Katya held up her fingers and counted, "sixteen years. It's time to move the man along. Besides, that dress wasn't _that_ revealing…" She lowered her voice so that only Hana could hear, "It wasn't, right? We weren't trying to scare her off."

"Nah, it's just the right amount of revealing. I wear it out all the time." The dress in question was strapless and fell to the mid-thigh on Hana. Even though Izumi was two inches shorter than Hana, she was also much bustier. It had a corset-style back in it, which was why Hana and Katya had chosen it for Izumi in the first place.

"Okay, this is way too much cleavage you guys…" Izumi said as she opened up the bathroom door. Her hand was covering the top of her chest and her discomfort with the lack of modesty was obvious.

"Scarf?" Katya asked Hana.

"Scarf." Hana answered back definitively while rummaging around in her closet to find one that matched. Afterall, it wouldn't help to make Izumi uncomfortable during the evening. Their plan was to make Itachi stake his claim, not to publicly shame and humiliate their friend. "All right, try this on with the dress in the mirror, Izumi-chan."

Katya threw an arm on Hana's shoulder as they admired the career chuunin in the mirror. "I like it," the blonde said, nodding her head approvingly. "You look a lot more comfortable with the scarf on too."

"Thank you, guys. What's the plan anyway?" the brunette Uchiha asked brightly, turning around to face her friends.

"Well, we're going to go to the new karaoke bar on Kawarama street. The plan is to just have a good time, to be honest. I know you've never been out to a karaoke bar before. We'll probably draw just enough attention to ourselves by being at a bar that word will reach Itachi anyway."

"How do you figure that?" The Inuzuka asked.

"Easy. We have Yata and the Haimaru triplets with us, which is strange in and of itself. And if that weren't enough, I know for a fact that Shisui asked Itachi to keep tabs on me when he's not in the village. So if we're out in the bar district for the evening he'll likely show up when the other crows report our whereabouts in a place that's not exactly above the board, if you get what I'm saying."

"Oh yeah, it's a _shinobi_ bar, isn't it?" Hana said knowingly while holding her chin with her hand. "This is definitely going to work! Put your heels on, ladies, tonight is going to be awesome!" The Haimaru triplets barked in agreement as the women put their shoes on to walk to the karaoke bar.

While they were walking, Hana put her arm around Katya's shoulder. "Ne, Katya-chan, I wanted to ask you if you were all right after everything that happened this week."

"Ugh, does everyone know about that?" she asked, frustrated.

"Well yeah, it's not everyday that the calmest Uchiha in the history of the universe goes on a mad dash through Konoha with such a furious expression on his face. And shinobi _are_ terrible gossips, ya know."

Katya sighed and mumbled in response, "Don't I know it. Yeah, I'm fine. One of my calculus students placed a genjutsu on me. It apparently was so poorly done that it temporarily changed the chakra flow in my brain and caused an overload to my chakra system." Hana hummed in response as Katya continued, "I was seeing people that I had killed and my PTSD symptoms worsened."

"Brain chemistry is rather delicate. You did say that you were struggling to cope a couple of weeks ago," Izumi said from her other side. "I hope you're doing much better now?"

"I am definitely doing better! I'm not completely healed, and I doubt I will be for a long time but being placed in that genjutsu forced me to deal with my feelings. I'll probably be even better when Shisui comes home." Katya started to blush before adding, "our sex life was hit very hard over the last couple of weeks."

Hana gave the older woman a wolfish grin, "Is that so?"

Katya scoffed, "Well yeah, going from daily or twice daily to none at all is insane!" When she realized what she had blurted out she covered her mouth as her face turned bright red. The veterinarian stopped in the street while howling with laughter and the other Uchiha woman was turning red herself while muffling her own giggles.

"Damn Kat, I always figured Shisui was a perv, but that just takes the cake!" the tattooed kunoichi wheezed between laughs. Katya flipped her hair to the front of her shoulder and walked forward in an attempt to regain some semblance of dignity. "Ooo, what's that on your neck?" Hana asked.

"What'd you mean?" Katya asked, uncertain. Izumi activated her sharingan as the two kunoichi gathered behind their friend to look.

"It looks like a medical seal," Hana said with interest. "At least a modified one. It's to ward off genjutsu. Normally human medic-nins place it on members of the Kurama clan to prevent them from falling into their own genjutsus. This one, however, is very slightly different. If I had to guess, it probably has a clause that affects foreign chakra from forming genjutsu in your cerebral cortex."

"It's Shisui-san's chakra signature, that bright green is unmistakable." The brunette Uchiha added, the three tomoe in her eyes spinning lazily before fading into black.

"Putting aside the fact that he marked me without permission," Katya started, vexed, "if it's so useful, why doesn't everyone have it?"

"It prevents you from forming your own genjutsu," the quiet kunoichi of their group said. "I read in the archives that our clan used to place it on civilian members that couldn't form chakra. All of the old defenses at the hideouts were genjutsu-based, as the sharingan can see through it. To allow non-sharingan wielders to perform other clan duties they came up with a way to make those members impervious to genjutsu. It's probably how the Kurama clan got a hold of it and modified it. They were Uchiha allies for a couple hundred years before the two clans had a fall-out."

"What was the fall-out about?" Katya asked curiously.

"Dojutsu theft," Izumi said simply. "At least, that's what the archives all indicated. You have to understand though, those documents are centuries old, incomplete and prone to embellishment."

"That makes sense." The Inuzuka grimaced. "Bloodline theft is never a joke...ugh so morbid. Couldn't people come up with a less creepy way to be creepy? Why would anyone want to steal an eyeball?"

"Think about what you just said...very slowly," Katya chided. "Oh, we're here! All right, is everyone on-board with the plan? I'm staying sober tonight to make sure we all make it home. Izumi is going to seduce Itachi by letting out her inner hussy. And Hana is going to bring the party, as she always does."

"Seduce him?! THAT was your plan?" Izumi practically screeched.

"Well yeah, show off the goods, get him to make a move. You know, publically. Hmm, maybe you'll get lucky and get laid." She gave her younger friend and cheshire grin while tapping her chin with her index finger.

"Be realistic, Kat. She's not going to get laid. Our sweet little Izumi-chan here is still a virgin."

"Really?"

"What? No I'm not," Izumi said defensively.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with it, Izumi-chan. But letting Itachi finger-bang you after an escort mission five years ago does not make you...hmm...experienced." Hana grabbed the smaller woman bodily and hauled her to the door after a token protest. The Haimaru brothers gave a bark, which indicated to Hana that they would stay outside underneath the tree that Yata had decided to roost in.

Two hours later and the women had settled at a table inside the crowded karaoke bar, listening to a very poor rendition of what would have been called 'Don't Stop Believing' in another world. The Inuzuka had her hands over her sensitive ears in response to the drunken howl of every butchered verse.

"He's not coming," Izumi wailed piteously.

"Oh, he'll come. Maybe you will too." The older woman said with a cheeky wink. "Are you sure he's not already here, Izumi-chan? He might be henged."

"Ooo, great idear," Hana said drunkenly. She shakily got up and started sniffing the room's inhabitants with what could never have passed for subtlety.

"She's very drunk, isn't she?" Katya mused while playing with the cap on her bottled water.

"I think I am too…" The brunette beside her trailed off while slamming her face on the table.

"I caught him!" The ninken mistress blared out, grabbing the hand of an inconspicuous red-head and waving it around in the air. She threw her arm around the unremarkable looking male and squeezed his neck in the crook of her arm. "Ne, Itachi-chan why you gotta be so mean to Izumi. She wants your dick. You want her pussy. It's the beautiful start to any relationship." The man that Hana had seized looked shocked and scandalized at this crass statement.

"I am not Hokage-sama," he said definitively.

"I smell a lie," the woman replied in a sing-song voice. Hana lifted the man from his seat and dragged him across the floor while the crowd looked on in amusement at the Inuzuka's antics. Katya subtly pulled a chair from underneath the table with her foot as the red-head was thrown into it.

"I'm so sorry about her!" The brunette Uchiha practically shrieked, thoroughly embarrassed and scandalized.

"Drink!" Katya chimed in, pushing a shot of tequila towards her friend. "You said sorry, now you have to take a shot! Those are the rules!" Izumi obediently shot-gunned the burning liquid and bit the lime that had been placed on the rim. "Hmm, you do seem familiar." She mused while looking at the red-head. "Izumi, can you see through henge with your sharingan?"

Izumi giggled drunkenly, her embarrassment forgotten, "Sure, as long as it wasn't cast by a stronger sharingan weld… wheel… weeld...user. Henge is a modified type of genjutsu, after all."

"Hana-chan, you can let him go now. I think he's having trouble breathing," the math professor said gently to her over-enthused friend. The kunoichi eased her grip from around the man's neck before roughly settling into a chair at the table. "Izumi-chan, are you able to safely activate your sharingan right now?"

"Hmm… dunno… maybe." The young woman looked at the man with bulging eyes as though she were trying to force her sharingan to activate.

"Stop, Izumi, before you injure yourself," the redhead said exasperatedly, reaching over to gently place a hand on the kunoichi's shoulder. The henge melted off of him to reveal Itachi Uchiha.

"Ngh, I'm so drunk, Itachi," the young woman wailed, rolling her head into his shoulder. The man sighed and pulled Izumi in closer. He startled when a camera flashed in front of him.

"Yosh! I got it!" Katya grinned towards him while waving the polaroid in the air to develop. She looked uncannily like her spouse when he had mischief in mind. That look always set the new Uchiha patriarch on edge. "Operation: Get Itachi to Make a Public Move successful!" The blonde high-fived Hana. "All right Hana-chan, should we leave these two love-birds alone?" Hana giggled drunkenly in response. She swayed when she stood up, causing Itachi to raise an eyebrow. "Ne, Hana, do you think one of the Haimaru brothers could stay with Izumi just to be on the safe side?"

"Oh yah, they can do that. I'll let 'em know ousside."

"Right. Wait for me." Katya said brightly before turning to their third companion. "Hey Izumi-chan," Katya waited for the tipsy girl's attention. "Hana is going to leave one of the nin-ken with you, okay? Just to make sure that you make it home safely." The girl mumbled in response from Itachi's chest while the other Uchiha woman gave her an awkward side hug. "It was nice to see you again, Itachi," she said as she walked out of the bar with Hana.

"Ne, Hana, I think you should spend the night. We're fairly close to my apartment and I don't think I could get you all the way back to the Inuzuka compound," Katya said as she held the door to the bar open for one of the canine triplets. Yata fluttered from the tree he was perched in and settled himself on Katya's shoulder as the woman moved her hair to the front of her shoulder again.

"This human is very intoxicated," the bird said matter-of-factly.

"I know. You'll probably have to either fly or find another ride home, Yata. I think I'm going to have to help her walk." The bird scoffed in response, and lifted his wings in flight before settling on the largest of the nin-kens. "Come on, Hana-chan. Up you get" Katya said brightly, pulling her friend's arm over her shoulder and setting her opposite hand on the woman's side. "I told you drinking ten shots of tequila in five minutes was a terrible idea," she tutted while helping her friend walk to the Uchiha's apartment. The duo were outside of the apartment complex when Katya began to wonder how she was going to get the Inuzuka up the three flights of stairs.

"I don't suppose you two would be able to carry her, would you?" She asked the nin-ken beside them who whimpered pitifully in response. "Right...well…" She paused her thoughts for a moment when she saw Genma walk up to the apartment complex, lost in his thoughts. 'What luck,' she thought. "Genma-san! Can you help me get Hana-chan to my apartment, please?"

"Huh, yeah sure. Did you ladies have a good night out?" he asked flirtatiously while conspicuously checking Hana out.

"Mnuhph," was the only response from the medic.

"Oh wow, you really are drunk," he said, his demeanour changing from flirty to sympathetic instantly.

"Yes. She is. And you're not making moves on her," the Uchiha said fiercely, pointing a stern finger in her neighbor's direction.

"Relax, Katya-san. I don't sleep with drunk people, anyway. It sounds too...rapey. All right Hana-san, up you go." He swung the Inuzuka into his arms in a bridal carry before starting up the stairs.

None of the humans noticed the smallest of the Haimaru triplets looking curiously towards the shadows on the outskirts of the apartment complex. The malicious presence had returned and was pricking at his intuitive canine senses. He shrugged it off again and lopped up the stairs after his mistress and her strange companion.

* * *

AN:

Thank you so much for reading, please leave a review. I hope you all stay safe out there!

Sorry, I know that this chapter is almost pure fluff, but it's also important background information for the future. :-) I hope everyone enjoyed reading it.

Posted: 17 April 2020


	11. Divide and Conquer

Chapter 11 Beta'ed by the most magnificent and magnanimous: CherryBerry12

**Trigger Warning: This chapter contains a graphic depiction of physical assault.**

* * *

_ **5 Mar 72; 11 am, Suna, Shisui** _

Shisui groaned as the late-morning sunlight hit the bed he was lying in at the Suna Dignitary Inn. The twenty-six year old felt old and out of shape. He used to be able to run between the two villages easily and in less than twenty-four hours. Yesterday, it had taken him twenty-five hours and he was out of breath by the time he reached his destination. Given, it was still forty-five hours less than the average shinobi would have taken. 'All of Kat's cooking is making me fat,' he moaned in his mind. He cracked open an eye and looked at the digital clock which read eleven a.m. He got up and started to move through his usual morning kata to get his blood flowing. Today would be another long day—he had to meet Sasuke in the Land of River in just over four hours. He was thankful that he would be able to keep a leisurely pace (for himself) on the way there.

* * *

_ **5 Mar 72, 11 am, Konoha, Katya** _

"Ya know, Hana, when I said I didn't feel one hundred percent safe without my husband home, I didn't mean that you had to stay with me for three days."

"Oh, I don't mind. I've had plenty of patients with PTSD."

"You're a vet."

"Animals absolutely get PTSD!" The medic said vehemently.

"Seriously?" The math professor asked skeptically.

"Yup. What'd you cook for lunch, anyway?" Hana asked while looking over Katya's shoulder.

"Ah, so the truth comes out! You're staying here for the cooking. Honestly, Hana, doesn't your mom cook steak all the time?"

Hana gave a nervous chuckle, "Well yeah...but that's the only thing she _can_ cook. She burns rice..._rice_ that's in a _rice cooker_! How is that even possible?"

"Oh no. Poor dear." Katya said with a deadpan expression. "However will you, at twenty-two years of age, survive if someone else doesn't cook for you." The veterinarian rolled her eyes at this. "And it's oven-roasted chicken and carrots. There's rice in the pot." She pointed to the rice cooker on the counter with the spatula in her hand. "Right now I'm just working on a hoisin sauce. Shisui liked it the last time I made it, so hopefully you do too."

"I thought you worked on Sundays?" Hana asked, setting the table for two.

"Sunday is the only day I have off. I practice a different religion than everyone else around here and am obligated to take that day off and spend time in worship."

"Still, even I don't work six days a week and I'm a medic!"

"Well, I have trouble saying no. Always have, I'm afraid. Besides, the R&D department just asks me to double-check numbers for them. It's not like it's a second job."

"Sure it's not. It can't be healthy for you to work all the time. What's Shisui think about the hours you put in?"

"He puts in more hours than I do! Besides, I feel a tad safer when I'm at the academy or the ANBU headquarters with the R&D department. I haven't told him, but I really don't feel like our apartment is all that secure. He's so busy and I don't want him to feel bad."

"Kat, that's your husband's job. Some men - like Shisui - are just evolutionarily programmed to secure their dens against intruders and to keep their mates safe. How do you think he's going to feel if he finds out you feel insecure in your own apartment?"

"I suppose he'll feel bad."

"Wrong, he'll feel horrible and like a failure. He's never lived with anyone before. He's never had so much as a long-term girlfriend before you, in fact. Let him know. Communication is important."

Katya sighed. "As sexist as all of that sounded, you're right. Damn, how'd you get so wise, anyway?" The younger woman just smiled in response as she plated treat-size portions of plain chicken and carrots that had been prepared for the Haimaru brothers.

* * *

_ **3 p.m., Somewhere in the Land of River, Shisui** _

"Yo, Sasu-chan!" Shisui greeted from the remnants of the Akatsuki cave that Sakura Haruno and Chiyo baa-sama had blown sky-high.

"Cousin. Why'd nii-san send _you_?" Sasuke glared.

Shisui tapped in his chin with his index finger, "Hmm...maybe it was simply to piss you off, my dear Sasu-chan. How's that whole bounty-hunting and redemption thing going for ya?"

"Is this an official de-briefing?" the younger boy asked skeptically.

"Well yeah. I'd obviously rather be debriefing with my wife than slumming it out here in the riverlands with you." Shisui grinned at the seventeen-year-old's obvious discomfort and embarrassment. "Oh good, my beautiful pun is appreciated. Man, you and Itachi are both delicate little flowers. It never fails to amuse me how easily embarrassed you both get."

Sasuke attempted to sneer at his older cousin but was unable to successfully pull it off with his reddened cheeks. "Come this way. I have one of their old chambers sealed." The two men set out and started reviewing Sasuke's progress. He had been tasked with eliminating Konoha deserters, specifically those from the Uchiha Clan. Sasuke passed Shisui the three body scrolls that he had been carrying over the last month and told him the relevant intel that he had acquired during his travels.

"Two of those are from the regular Konoha forces, by the way. Only one was an Uchiha. I'm having difficulty actually finding any of the five that remain on the list."

"Hmm. That is concerning, then. Did you find any information regarding the Otsutsuki clan?" the older shinobi asked, all traces of humor gone.

"Not as of yet. I did, however, uncover an illegal gambling operation in Cloud's territory. I would like orders on how to proceed there."

"It would be troublesome if you got on the Raikage's bad side again." Shisui pulled out a blank mission scroll and a pen from his supplies before writing. "Okay, this is going to be a B-rank mission that I'm assigning under my authority as the Hokage's supreme advisor and not as the KMPF Chief. You're to investigate the illegal gambling operation discreetly. I don't want you to make your presence obvious. That would root out Yakuza leaders before it's time. As you said, this is the Raikage's territory. It's his prerogative on how he wishes to proceed. When I get back to Konoha I'll get Itachi to send Ay-dono a missive letting him know that you'll report to him, the Raikage, in about six weeks' time. You're to follow his instructions from there. Standard lending disclaimers apply." Shisui got out a stick of wax and metal sigil before warming the wax with fire chakra in his palm and adding his seal to the bottom of the scroll.

Sasuke was thankful that Shisui was adding the disclaimer clause to the mission scroll, since normally Kakashi was too lazy to do so. During the last Kage Summit it had been decided that when lending shinobi between villages it was necessary to say what each village would not allow their shinobi to do when on loan. Iwa had the fewest restrictions, simply saying that their shinobi were not to assassinate or permanently maim other active-duty Iwa shinobi. Konoha had the greatest amount of restrictions since their loaned shinobi could not maim or assassinate any Konoha shinobi (including missing-nin) on another village's orders, perform seduction missions, sabotage an internationally recognized government, donate egg or sperm samples, procreate under orders, amongst other carefully crafted clauses that Tsunade and Itachi had jointlyed devised. Of course, if Konoha herself ordered a Konoha shinobi to do these things, that was an entirely different matter.

The crux of it was, of course, that the mission scroll stating a shinobi was on loan to such-and-such village had to say "Konoha standard disclaimers apply". Otherwise the Kage of that village was well within their rights to order something that is legal in said village. Sasuke knew this because it was due to a desk chuunin's oversight that an international incident almost occurred when Iroha Hyuuga had been ordered to do a seduction mission while on loan in Suna. Thankfully, Gaara had been understanding when the Hyuuga explained that the Hyuuga Clan refused such missions as a general rule and Iroha had been excused. Had Gaara not excused Iroha and the Hyuuga refused the mission, Konoha would have faced several hefty fines and possible sanctions. The last thing that Sasuke wanted, however, was to father children at age seventeen in Kumo under orders because someone forgot to add a single clause on his mission scroll. And the Raikage was vindictive enough over Sasuke's stay with Orochimaru that he would force the young Uchiha to do something that untoward.

"All right, you're all set, Sasu-chan. Anything else I should know?" Shisui asked.

"None."

"Great, here's your supplies…Do you hear that?" Sasuke was sure that his cousin was messing with him until the older man started walking further into the winding halls of the old Akatsuki hideout.

"Oi, wait. Where are you going?"

"Do you hear that?" Shisui asked hurriedly as his younger cousin caught up to him.

"Mangekyo madness is hereditary. You must have finally cracked because I hear nothing." Shisui snorted, but continued closer to the source of sound.

"It's not hereditary, Sasu-chan. We go mad because our sharingan allows for full-color, HD, surround-sound memory and we only use it for the worst parts of our lives. The trick to not going crazy is to use it for the highlights too."

"I'm pretty sure you made that up, Shisui. Crazy people don't know they're crazy."

"Hmm. Maybe. Your brother did send me out here to prevent me from murdering someone. And by the way, crazy people most certainly know that they're crazy."

"Wait, what? You, murder someone? Now I've heard it all; nii-san has cracked too. I hope you both can be cellmates in lockdown."

"I must admit a padded cell would be nice sometimes. But then I'd miss Kat's cooking. Your brother was worried that I would try to avenge Kat after some schmuck placed a genjutsu on her."

"Oh, so he's protecting your career and credibility."

"That's one way of looking at it. Do you seriously not hear that? It's coming from this hall." Shisui started a minor fire jutsu to light the way down the dank and cavernous hallway.

"_Come to see_

_Within a dream_

_Who can be free_

_Under moonlight's beam._

_Another world to meet_

_Lost souls_

_Their mate to greet_

_Who can tell their goals?_

_What future is here?_

_What past can be near?_

_Two hearts collide_

_Under reddened sky_

_Itself shall weep_

_As corpses creep_

_The blood stained hands_

_Touch Earth unclean_

_A paired goal's failed plans_

_Shall never glean_

_Misuse of gift_

_Punishment will be rendered_

_Amongst gods and souls a mighty rift_

_Determined to take bone and flesh dismembered."_

The chant repeated while numerous voices echoed throughout the expansive room until Shisui and Sasuke stood in front of a large pool of water. Shisui put out his arm to stop his cousin from disturbing the dark depths while Sasuke gave him a strange look.

"The sound; it's coming from the water. Turn your mangekyo on and look around." Sasuke still believed that his cousin was crazy but obeyed, noticing Shisui had done the same.

"Shisui, I don't hear anything and I don't see anything substantial, not even with the Rinnegan."

"But you do see something?" his normally confident cousin asked him, uncertain.

"I see shadows and traces of something that's not chakra. But it's not surprising considering that the Gedo statue was stored here at some point."

"Right." Shisui said, almost to himself. "Okay, let's head out then."

"Come on, Shisui-nii. Let's get out of here; you've been under a lot of stress lately." Sasuke said assuredly, grabbing his older cousin's elbow slowly and escorting them out of the caverns. After they parted ways, Sasuke stopped five kilometers into his trip and summoned his hawk. He relayed his concerns about his cousin's sanity to his brother in the rare message home before continuing on his way.

* * *

_ **4 p.m. Konoha, Katya** _

Hana had received an emergency summons to the veterinary clinic after one of the new puppies was attacked on the outskirts of the village. The academy-aged child who was partnering with the poor creature had been sent to the emergency room, unconscious, while the pup was in critical condition. Katya had sent her friend off with her best wishes and told her to send one of the triplets if she needed anything at all.

It wasn't more than thirty minutes later before there was a knock on the apartment door. Katya looked through the peephole and was astonished to see her student, Isamu Ueda at the door. She opened the door, but kept the chain lock engaged.

"Is everything all right, Ueda-san?" she asked, concerned that one of her students had tracked her address down.

"Actually I was hoping to talk to you, Uchiha-sensei. If I may come in?"

"I'm not at all comfortable with that, Ueda-san. I'm sure whatever you need to say can wait until tomorrow morning. Have a good evening." Katya attempted to close the door on the chuunin when he stuck his foot in the narrowed opening. He broke the chain that was holding it closed by ramming his shoulder into the door. Katya immediately backed up and stumbled on the raised step of the entrance way when he slammed the door shut. His henge melted to show Eiji Ueda instead of his cousin, Isamu. Katya was immediately on guard, yet refused to show her fear, giving him a bland look instead as she backed away from him towards the arm's closet.

"Why are you here, Eiji?" she asked, as calmly as possible. She groped around for the handle of the closet door and opened it slightly to pull Shisui's spare tanto from the inside of the closet nearest to the handle.

Yata was roused from his sleep at the commotion and immediately flew to the hallway to observe what was happening. He pushed the already sparse chakra he had been given to the Mangekyo eye in the hopes that someone would come to help. He knew that Shisui had silencing seals all over the apartment and should his summoner's mate scream, no one would be able to hear her. He was not a combat bird and the best he could do was watch and tug on the summons' link in the hopes that Itachi would be cognizant enough to feel it and know which crow was requesting aid.

"I'm here, you stupid bitch, because it's your fault that my career has been ruined!" the crazed chuunin said, waving a kunai in the air. Katya subtly closed the arms closet and hid the tanto behind her back with one hand and wrapped the spare tsuka-ito around it while Eiji looked around the room, laughing maniacally. "And you know what? You're going to get your comeuppance for ruining me. And once I'm done with you I'm going after that arrogant asshole of a husband that you have."

Katya fell into the fighting stance that she had been practicing under her spouse's watchful eye over the last four months. It was nowhere near the speed that she would need to defeat someone at the chuunin level, even if she was able to use her unlocked chakra to augment her natural strength. But in a crisis, it was certainly better than nothing.

Katya raised the tanto with both hands in front of her. "You need to leave now," she said with conviction. This only served to anger the man further. He rushed towards her faster than she was able to see before delivering a right uppercut punch to her diaphragm. The hit sent the small woman flying into the wall behind her. Yata squawked and began to charge the chuunin, his primary occupation be damned. In response, the criminal threw a kunai that struck the bird, causing him to dispel.

"Tsk tsk, all alone now, aren't we sweetheart," Eiji tutted as he pulled the dazed woman up by her neck. She lifted the blade of the tanto and sliced across his ribcage, causing him to hiss and drop her. Katya immediately tightened the tsuka-ito around her dominant hand to help keep control of the blade as the enraged man rushed her again at shinobi speed, delivering another brutal uppercut that cracked her ribs. Again, she swung at him, desperate to remember the kata that Shisui had drilled her in over the last four months. Anything to help her survive this encounter. The blade missed and Eiji held up a kunai with a mocking expression on his face. Katya coughed and tasted the blood that came up from her lungs.

With renewed vigor she strained and charged the chuunin. She felt a mild pride when she forced him to take a step back to block her blows. The blade made contact against his cheek which caused him to yelp. She chalked up landing even a single blow to his cockiness.

"My turn," her opponent said menacingly, advancing with a speed that she was hardly able to see, let alone match. He threw her body against a bookshelf which dislodged her glasses and caused several items to fall. Black spots danced at the edges of her blurred vision as she fought against unconsciousness.

Katya knew she needed to make it to the front door. If she could do that, at least she would have a chance of making it to Genma's apartment. Or at the very minimum she could scream for help. Her mind made up, she fuzzily made her way to the door before she felt something hard hit the back of her head and warmth ooze from the impact.

"Tut tut, none of that now. You are going to die. And you are going to be awake so I can watch the light fade from your eyes. Just like how you ruined my career." The man hovered over her prone body and stepped on her dominant arm, breaking it. At the sudden burst of pain, Katya released the tanto that she had been holding and screamed. "Very good." Eiji put one foot on each of her arms and bent his right elbow on to her chest to hold her in place as his large hands wrapped around her throat and squeezed.

* * *

_ **4:32 p.m. Konoha, Genma** _

Genma was having an amazing day. He woke up pain-free for the first time in years thanks to a new tea that the beautiful Shizune had made for him. He went to work as the Hokage's guard and there were no new assassination attempts for the first time in over three months. He had an awesome lunch with said beautiful woman. He even got her to agree to a date with him after almost twenty years of asking! Yes, it was an amazing day. One of his closest friends and neighbors was even due to be home that evening so he could bum a dinner off of the man's wife. Genma practically skipped towards his apartment when his gut instinct began to tell him that something was wrong.

He walked up the three flights to his apartment and quickly opened the door and checked his security seals before shrugging his shoulders and walking to Shisui's apartment to check on Katya, like he did every time his friend was on a mission. He knocked on the door but didn't hear an answer so he tried again. The uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach grew and he immediately picked the paltry lock to the front door. He walked in to see Katya Uchiha held down on the ground by a man twice her size. Her face was a bloody mess from cuts along her hair line and her arm was purple and bent at an unnatural angle. Shisui's tanto was a foot away from her, the tsuka-ito from around the hilt trailing towards the woman.

The brown-haired chuunin on top of her had a deep cut to his left cheek and side. The man looked up surprised to see Genma but was roughly slammed into a wall with his jaw shattered before he could comprehend what was happening. Eiji, upon realizing that his own life was in danger, began to fight back but was no match for the jounin. It was mere moments before he received a poisoned senbon to his abdomen and summarily collapsed into a seizure.

It took Genma less than a second to have the assailant bound in ninja wire and awaiting the KMPF. He swiftly changed tasks and started to thoroughly take stock of Katya's injuries. He had just started to wrap her profusely bleeding head wound with supplies from a first aid kit he had found in the Uchiha's bathroom when Itachi arrived to take in the scene.

"What happened?" The stoic man asked tonelessly. Before he received a response he whistled for the ANBU guard that was following him and told him to take Eiji into ANBU custody at Ibiki's pleasure.

"I don't know. I felt like something was wrong so I picked the lock and came in on that asshole trying to choke Katya-san."

"It was only seven minutes between the time Yata pulled on the summon's link and now. This damage…" Itachi spoke his thoughts aloud and looked around for a moment, "is extensive." His best friend's apartment was destroyed. The bookshelves were broken and lying on their side, the contents strewn on the ground. There were large dents in the walls speckled with blood. The glass coffee table had been shattered. The worst part of it all, however, was his blood-brother's wife laying on the floor unconscious from a head wound.

"Shit, she stopped breathing," Genma said from the hall. He grabbed a disposable scalpel from the over-stocked med-kit and felt around the base of the woman's neck before finding the trachea and swiftly cutting a small opening. While Genma was creating the stoma, Itachi found small tubing in the kit and cut it down to size for the emergent cricothyrotomy. He inserted it into the hole and held it in place as Genma taped the edges. The petite body jolted from underneath them as oxygen was reintroduced to the bloodstream.

A few minutes later and the apartment was crowded with various members of the KMPF while the blonde woman was loaded onto a stretcher and carried to the hospital for further emergency treatment.

* * *

_ **5:30 p.m., Konoha, Shisui** _

Shisui had a terrible feeling that something had gone wrong. He'd felt an insistent pull from the summons that he had left behind in Konoha but had been unable to resummon the bird to find out what had happened. When he closed his right eye at the same time as the summoning pull he saw Eiji Ueda standing in front of Katya. Shisui had taken off in a dead sprint the moment after his summoning jutsu failed to produce Yata. It had taken him less than an hour to travel from the Land of River to the Konoha gates.

Izumo startled when he saw Shisui appear before him suddenly. Shisui threw the signed paperwork to enter the village towards the desk clerk. He then immediately shunshinned to his apartment. He was hoping he was being paranoid, but he could feel in his heart that he was not. That feeling was confirmed when he arrived at his home to find no less than five uniformed KMPF officers milling around.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"It appears that your home was broken into by Eiji Ueda, Taichou," Tekka Uchiha stated. "We are unable to confirm that, however, as your wife was unconscious and heavily injured when we arrived on the scene."

Fighting to keep control of his carefully cultivated mask Shisui asked, "Where is she now?"

"The hospital, taichou. She arrived there less than an hour ago, accompanied by Itachi-sama and Genma Shiranui-san."

Setting aside the strong instinct to immediately run to the hospital the Chief of Police gathered himself. He had a crime scene that needed processing, a department to direct, and apparently an investigation to run as to why the hell Eiji Ueda wasn't in custody before this occurred.

"Right. Officer Tekka, you're in charge of this crime scene as of now. You can pick a partner. I want it fully processed and all of the paperwork turned in by the morning. Everything must be above the board and in full view of the public. I don't want it to look like our clan is hiding something."

Shisui turned to the Hyuuga that he had hired three months ago, "Officer Hyuuga, you're to pair up with Officer Taiko and launch an inquiry as to how Eiji Ueda escaped the confines of the KMPH."

"Everyone else clear out and start patrolling the streets and the perimeter of Konoha. I want to make sure this village is locked down right now. If you see anyone acting suspiciously then you are to take them into custody. You will let me know the moment someone is apprehended. And no one will start an interrogation without myself or Itachi-sama present. Someone let Ueda out and it is possible it is an infiltration and precursor to something bigger." With that final statement Shisui used the last of his patience to shunshin to the hospital.

* * *

**AN: **Please leave a review. :) If you liked this fic be sure to hit follow to have update alerts!

Tsuka-ito: cord used to wrap around samurai blades

Do NOT feed a dog poultry bones. Ever. Poultry bones will splinter in the dog's digestive tract which is obviously a bad thing.

**A word on emergency cric's or cricothyrotomy [disclaimer: not a physician]:**

Firstly: It's typically used for trauma or choking victims who can't breath through either the nose or the mouth. This is a _**last-resort procedure**_ by a layperson who is performing first-aid.

Secondly: Refer to this handout by Brown University.

.edu/emergency-medicine-residency/the-cricothyrotomy-part-1-the-procedure/

Thank you so much for reading! Reviews are always welcome. ;-)

Posted: 19 April 2020

Updated: 29 April 2020 Grasslands replaced with Riverlands. Whomp whomp, sorry folks :/


	12. The Hospital

Chapter 12 Beta'ed by: CherryBerry12, without whom this would probably sounds like a boring research paper. ;)

* * *

_ **Midnight, 6 Mar 72, Konoha, Shisui** _

When he was told that his wife was heavily injured he thought maybe she had a broken leg. Not this. Kami, anything but this.

**Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Beep.**

It was a slow beep and wheeze of a machine that filled the room. The space between every breath that his wife took burned him. She had been in surgery for over four hours, but they were not able to expend chakra to fix the hasty cricothyroidotomy. Her system was already overloaded with the medics' emergency measures to reduce her brain swelling. They would have to wait at least twenty-four hours for her body to filter out the foreign chakra before entering another round of surgery… if she survived the night. Tsunade-sama had made no guarantees.

**Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Beep.**

Itachi had been by once already. Shisui didn't even realize he had activated his mangekyo and filled the hallway with killing intent until Genma started to back-up out of instinct. Itachi had lowered his own gaze and left. It was a gesture of submission from the Hokage that did little to placate Shisui's base-instincts. Tomorrow he might be able to sort through his feelings and realize it was technically not Itachi's fault. But technicalities meant precious little when a protective man feels like he's failed in his most sacred duties. By the grace of all the gods, it was that precious little that had saved Itachi from thinking that he abhorred his younger brother and wanted to kill Sasuke. The kotoamatsukami could be used for such terrible things and right then, Shisui had felt like turning it on the man he called brother. It would truly be a fate worse than death.

**Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Beep.**

Itachi was responsible for sending him out of the village in the first place. The man knew that someone had hurt _**his**_ Katya and that there was a mole in the Uchiha Clan and still, he sent him. He could have literally sent anyone else, even a hawk for that bullshittery. But no, he didn't trust Shisui enough to not be impulsive and kill Eiji outright. Right now, he sure as fuck would if it meant he wouldn't have to leave his wife.

The door to the room opened and Genma walked in. He placed a large thermos on the bedside table before taking a seat on the opposite side of the room.

**Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Beep.**

"Drink, Shisui. It's a chamomile blend with honey. Shizune made it for chakra recovery."

"I don't need a drink."

"Look man, you just ran straight from Suna to the Land of Grass to Konoha in less than 12 hours. I don't have to be a genius to figure out that you shunshinned most of the way here. I don't need a doujutsu to see that you're exhausted and chakra-depleted. Drink. I also brought snacks."

"I don't need a snack."

"They're from the cookie jar in your apartment. Your wife made them." Shisui stiffened minutely at the mention of his wife before staring at the thermos.

"Did _he_ send you here?" Shisui spat.

**Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Beep.**

"No. Shizune did. You're scaring the nurses, Shisui. You need to loosen up on all that killing intent you have going everywhere. How are they going to give your wife the best care possible if they can't even enter the room?"

"You entered."

"I'm a jounin who specializes in bodyguarding and assasination. I'm used to killing intent. If I wasn't, I'd be a dead man."

"Sakura and Tsunade can take care of her."

"You're not thinking rationally, Shisui! Sakura depleted her chakra and fainted after the surgery and Tsunade-sama is busy with the two half-dead squads of ANBU that just showed up."

"Shizune then." Shisui said concisely, staring lidlessly at the ventilator's motions.

**Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Beep.**

Genma sighed and extended his legs. "No, man. I'm not letting Shizune anywhere near you right now."

"I don't attack women."

"Normally you don't attack anyone without giving them the chance to surrender. Right now though, 'Sui, you'll attack anything that moves."

"Then how are you still alive and sitting there?"

The older man shrugged. "Probably because your subconscious knows that I was the one to save your woman's life." Shisui stiffened in response but otherwise continued to stare at the machines and rub slow circles on his unconscious wife's hand.

**Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Beep.**

Genma opened the thermos and poured a cup for Shisui before sliding it across the table. He stood up and retrieved a paper towel from the other end of the room and placed two protein cookies on it. He set those beside the hot beverage and reclaimed his spot.

"Drink, Shisui. She's going to wake up and be upset to see you like this. You know her, she's going to worry. I didn't put a sleeping draught in it, even though he asked me to. It's just as I said, a chamomile blend for chakra recovery and stress-relief."

The curly-haired man gave a humorless chuckle, "How very reassuring that _he_ wants to put me down like a horse with a gimp leg. Cheers, Genma." He raised up the thermos cup in a mock toast before downing the contents and slamming it down on the table. The Uchiha stared Genma dead in the eyes as he shoved an entire cookie into his dry mouth and swallowed it, causing the senbon-wielder to inwardly cringe.

**Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Beep.**

"Right...well...as I said. I didn't drug anything, even though I was asked to. She'll come through, man," Genma said slowly as he stood up to walk out of the room. He stopped when Shisui spoke again.

"She has to. Or I'll follow her," he whispered to the room.

"Understood," Genma said gently as he closed the door behind him.

After his conversation with Genma, Shisui finally felt the exhaustion that had been hidden by adrenaline for the last seven hours. He laid his head on the side of his wife's bed and rested his eyes for only a moment before he too fell unconscious.

**Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Whoosh. Inhale. Silence. Beep.**

Genma wouldn't drug his friend's tea, but Shizune had no such compunctions.

* * *

_ **6 p.m., 6 Mar 72, Konoha, Shisui** _

His soulmate had lived through the night. Tsunade-sama had told him that it was a minor miracle because the chances of her survival were only forty-percent to begin with. Even though her chakra was flowing, it was the same amount as an academy student and only slightly more than a civilian.

Two hours ago he had felt sane enough to actually read the clinical description of her injuries. The ribs on her left side had been completely crushed, causing a puncture to her left lung. She had three separate skull fractures as well as a severe concussion and ruptured eardrum. The left orbital bone that had broken ten years ago split cleanly where the existing fracture line was. Her right arm had snapped in two different places. All of this and the worst injury, for him, was seeing the black hand-shaped bruises around her neck that caused the crushed trachea and severe swelling that had blocked her airway. Shisui felt as though the mark were mocking him.

The skull fractures and brain swelling were the most pressing of her injuries which Sakura Haruno had exhausted all of her own chakra fixing last night. Today, Shizune was scheduled to fix the lung puncture, neck injuries, and however many ribs she could manage while staying upright. Shisui prayed to all of the kami and even Katya's God that Shizune would be able to fix all of them. He didn't want his lover to be in pain when they took her out of the medicated coma. He exhaled slowly to calm himself when he felt a presence at the door.

"Shisui-sama, I need t-t-tooo take your wife'sss vvvitttalllss…" The quiet medic-trainee said from the entryway. He thought her name was Hina or Hanata, something like that. He had never paid much attention to the quiet Hyuuga before. Naruto stood behind the nervous woman before placing a gentle hand on her back and walking into the room first. The blond arranged a bouquet of bright gerbera daisies in the vase next to the bed before looking at Shisui. He gave a slight nod to the woman and she entered the room to complete her task.

"Na, Shisui-nii, you can't be scaring off the nurses with all that killing intent. We don't have enough medic-nin to come in here every time Katya-nee needs her papers checked." Shisui didn't fail to notice that the young man's pupils had turned amphibian as though he were in sage mode.

"Relax, Naruto-kun. I'm not going to fight anyone, right now. Tsunade-sama told you to say that, huh?" The older man said in a softened voice, thick with exhaustion.

"Yeah, she did. Um, I brought her daisies. I hope that's okay...she seemed to really like looking at them when she was helping me with the fraction stuff, dattebayo."

"She mentioned that she took you out to the flower gardens for tutoring. You're right. Those are her favorites… gerbera daisies… I get them every Thursday…" The Uchiha trailed off as his eyes got slightly misty.

"Oh, I brought you more tea. Kaka-sensei said that Genma-san told him you were actually drinking it. And I'm supposed to promise that 'neither I nor Genma-san drugged it'. Also, protein cookies? I guess Sakura-chan used your wife's recipe or something like that? Which is good 'cause one time Sakura-chan made me rations pills with her own recipe and they were awful. But I also brought you ramen. Because, duh, ramen's the best."

"Thank you, Naruto-kun. Tell _him_ that I need more time before I see him. I'm still not one hundred percent in control," Shisui intoned softly.

"Sure, yeah. I can do that. Or Hinata can. Either of us. Maybe both. Right, Hina-chan?"

"Rrightt...Naruto-kun." The teenager blushed bright red before folding up a stethoscope and marking the blonde woman's chart. "Shisssui-ssama, Shizune-sennpai will be in here in about an hour, barring any other emergenciesss…"

"Thank you, Hyuuga-san."

* * *

_ **3 p.m. 7 Mar 72, Konoha, Shisui** _

"Look Gaki, you have to leave this room. You reek," Tsume Inuzuka stated bluntly. "I don't need to be an Inuzuka to know you haven't showered in about a week."

"I'm fine, Tsume-sensei. I will be here when she wakes up," the young man said while he stared at the telemetry screen.

"You should listen to your genin-sensei, pup. You smell and your face is sprouting fur. Keep it up and you'll look like me," Kuromaru stated from Tsume's otherside.

"'Sui, you haven't slept properly in over three days. You look like something Akamaru found in a ditch," Hana said as she adjusted the blue tulips and yellow roses that she had brought. "The worst of her injuries are healed. The medication keeping her comatose has worn off. That doesn't mean she'll wake up instantly. Her brain is still coping with the trauma. You have time to run to your apartment to shower and take a short nap."

"No."

Hana growled at him in frustration. "Fine. Then I will go to your apartment, rifle through _your_ underwear drawer and bring you clean clothes and soap. Then Kuromaru here is going to drag you into that miniscule excuse for a shower with his fangs."

"Gaki, you don't want your mate to see you like this. Go. Shower. And. Eat." Tsume growled while getting in front of Shisui's face.

"Let him be, Tsume. He's not a pup any longer. If he wants to burn his mate's nose then that is his business. I, for one, will lay right here and wait to see the show." Kuromaru jumped up onto the end of the hospital bed, causing it to creak threateningly under the nin-ken's weight.

Shisui scowled at the gray dog, "I am not leaving this room." Hana growled at him again while moving her hands into fists and slamming the door upon her exit. Tsume sighed and sat down in the chair opposite of him.

An hour and a half later Hana returned with his spare rucksack and yakisoba takeout. He thanked her before getting up to use the restroom.

"I'll watch her while you get cleaned up and eat. Do you want Kuromaru or one of the triplets with you?"

"No, thank you. I'll be okay. Thank you, Sensei, Hana. For coming out and looking after us both." The proud man bowed his head before making his way to the ensuite.

"I forget that you were his genin-sensei, sometimes." The veterinarian whispered to her mother.

"Oh, yeah. He was a cute kid; he had whole mountain ranges worth of troubles, but cute. He's pack."

"Hmm. Pack is pack, huh?"

"Always, Hana-chan. You'll be a good clan alpha one day."

* * *

_ **1 a.m., 8 Mar 72, Konoha, Shisui** _

Katya had been taken off of the medication that kept her in an induced coma at seven in the morning yesterday. Or maybe it was today, Shisui wasn't quite sure what day it was anymore. Officer Daichi Aburame was filling in as the temporary chief. As one of three jounin in the entire department, he was well suited for it. The Aburame had reported the department's activities to Shisui daily since Monday evening. It was good that nothing terrible had happened thus far, because he wasn't sure if he would just give up and throw his jounin vest and Chief of Police badge at the poor man if he had to leave his wife's side.

A minute change appeared in his Katya's face. Her eyes began to move beneath the lids, the ripples seen from the fine lines barely appearing at the edges of her eyes. Shisui tightened the grip on her hand. Sakura had told him that it could take anywhere from twelve hours to two weeks for Katya to come out of the induced coma, if she woke up at all. She had also quietly mentioned that amnesia was a possibility due to the head trauma. He watched her face hopefully, and prayed that she would wake up. His hope vanished when the movement settled without her even cracking an eyelid. He exhaled slowly and kissed her hand before placing their adjoined hands back on the bed.

"Well, Kat, one of the nurses said that it'd be helpful to talk to you, even though you can't hear me. Hmm. Yata is fine, by the way. He was resummoned and Hana worked on him immediately. He won't be able to fly for a bit, though. He caught that kunai in his wing, so he'll have a bit of rehab first." Shisui carefully left out who resummoned the crow, since he was still not ready to talk about Itachi. "I think Kakashi-senpai badgered Tenzo-san into fixing the apartment. Or at least senpai's exact words were, 'I'll get someone to fix all the damage.' Which is good, because we'll have somewhere comfortable to go back to. Or we can sell it, ya know. Yeah, we should probably sell it and move to the district. More security that way.

"Um. Naruto brought you gerberas. It's kind of funny, the things that he picks up. If I didn't know any better I would say he's a full-blown genius rather than an unpredictable knuckle-head. Hana and her mom were by. Hana brought you yellow roses and blue tulips. I think the meaning is loyal friendship? It's been a while since I've studied ikebana, though." The small hand in his own twitched slightly, and he held his breath.

"Right, well. Sakura-chan said she was able to salvage all of the books and scrolls. Some of the spines were a little bent, though. I guess medic-nin are used to dealing with books in poor condition. I mean, they would have to anyway. It's not like it's possible to keep a thousand-page textbook in pristine condition after twenty years of using it." Katya's breathing sped up slightly before relaxing into the same cadence it had been since the ventilator was removed. Shisui sighed.

"Please wake up..." the man whispered into the dark of the room.

* * *

_ **Dreamscape?, Katya** _

"Why am I here?" Katya whispered aloud as she walked through the growing forest. What had once been solely the charred remains of the old forest had been taken over by new life when dreamscape had reopened. The grass was soft and cool underneath her feet. The trail carried her to the spot where she and Shisui had met for the first time and countless times after that. She sat down at the bank underneath their tree and smiled when she found the initialed heart that he had carved there. She traced the scarred bark with her fingers and smiled softly before leaning against it. She listened to the soft current of the creek and the sway of the wildflowers and tall grass as the breeze blew through.

"Did I get it right?" A melodic voice murmured from behind a small outcrop of rock. A young woman came out of her hiding place. Her hair fell to her knees and was as black as crow feathers. Her eyes were a soft charcoal and full of maternal sympathy. She was dressed in a formal kimono with several layers of juban underneath. In her right hand, she held a long traditional spear. There was an ethereal glow about her that made Katya uncomfortable standing in her presence. Katya's survival instinct was screaming at her to kneel and she complied, getting down on both hands and knees.

The being in front of her was a goddess. There was no doubt about that, with the way her instincts were acting. Perhaps it was hubris for her to have thought that christianity was the only religion that could possibly explain the intelligent design of a complex multi-verse. But it was hard to deny that she had been terribly wrong when who she had once believed to be solely a mythical being was standing in front of her.

"That's unnecessary, dear. Please, sit with me. I am Izanami-no-Mikoto. This is quite a lovely space that you two have created."

"Thank you, Izanami-sama."

"We are not in your 'dreamscape,' my child. As long as both of your souls inhabit physical bodies in the same dimension, you cannot enter the dimension you have created. We are in the heavenly plane."

"Our souls?"

"Mm. You and your soul's pair. In truth, only a few of you were brought to existence. Although, I must admit that I am surprised you have recognized me as a heavenly deity. You believed yourself to be under the purview of the one you call 'Jehovah' for so long."

" So, the parallel multi-verse theory is true? I've had my suspicions for some time. But even then, how would it be possible for a mortal to create their own dimension? I guess each dimension is administered by different deities? I mean, you are a kami, Izanami-sama."

"Mortals are adding to the dimensions all of the time. It becomes rather cumbersome when one wishes to find a specific dimension. You, my dear, were particularly problematic."

"Me, Izanami-sama?"

The goddess smiled good-naturedly, "Indeed. Or, rather, your paired souls were. Izanagi-sama and I did not anticipate Amatsu Mikaboshi's interference with the lives of mortals; even mortals such as Zetsu."

"Why would a god of chaos want to separate Shisui and I? In the grand scheme of things, we're not that important."

"Are you not? In a future that shujin-sama and I have seen made possible, both of you are necessary to prevent war from coming to this world. We wish to protect our creations. Reckless destruction and wanton death has transpired in this world. Half of a million have been slaughtered to inflate the ego of one..." The goddess trailed off here as her face darkened and the sky around them erupted in a dark and magnificent display of lightning. The woman visibly calmed herself and the sky lightened to its original turquoise. Katya stayed silent out of fear and waited for Izanami to continue speaking. "The kotoamatsukami deities have decided your fate. You have been punished for a crime that was not your doing and they wish to offer you the chance to amend the wrong that has been done."

"I apologize, gracious one, but I don't understand how we have been punished or what crime occured."

"Your soul-pair was charged with keeping peace during the current era in this world. Quite obviously, you have failed to do so. It is neither here nor there that the other soul-pairs assigned to this task in other eras have also failed. It was one of the reasons that you and your soulmate were specifically chosen. It is a difficult world to keep peaceful."

"Why were we separated then, okami-sama?"

"It was not my doing, ignorant child!" the goddess replied, offended.

"My deepest regrets. I didn't mean to accuse you," the mortal said as she knelt once more, her face in the ground.

"You may rise. That being, Zetsu, petitioned Amatsu Mikaboshi to have your soul removed from your rightful universe. Of course, I could not allow your soul to be destroyed forever, so I transferred you to another." At this Katya's eyes went wide with shock. "At the time your body was about to be destroyed in the universe I sent you to, Zetsu was also destroyed. This negated his contract with Amatsu Mikaboshi and I was then free to do as I wished. I brought you back here. Although, I was not able to send you to the proper time since you had made a blood contract with Amatsu Mikaboshi yourself."

There was silence for a long time in the meadow. The two women sat along the banks of the small stream and listened to the birds singing in the canopy of the forest. The motherly goddess was the first to break their silence.

"I only have a limited amount of time, child. Ask your questions."

"Why are you telling me this, Izanami-sama?"

"Shujin-sama and I have persuaded Amaterasu-dono to reverse time, temporarily. You are but a piece on the board in our goals of defeating Amatsu Mikaboshi."

"You said that we were already punished, how?"

"Interestingly enough, the short-sighted deal you made with that demon allowed you to take on both punishments. The Kotoamatsukami punished your soulmate, using the one called Danzo Shimura as a tool. They punished you by drawing Eiji Ueda into madness. As of right now, you are supposed to be dead, just as Shisui-chan should be. Our time draws closer, farewell, my child. You will be presented with this choice in the near-future. Choose wisely, as such favors from gods do not happen often." With this parting message the goddess began to fade from Katya's mind and what had looked like the dreamscape began to change and shift until it morphed out of existence completely, replaced by bright lights.

* * *

_ **10 a.m., 8 Mar 72, Konoha, Katya** _

"Come on baby, wake up." Shisui's voice was hoarse and desperate. His grip on her hand had tightened as Katya closed her stiff fingers around his. Her eyelids fluttered against the bright light that was flooding the room from the open window. She turned her head slightly towards the dark navy-blue blob on her left that she thought might be her husband.

"Shisui?" Katya asked with a ragged and cracking voice. Her mouth felt as though she had been chewing gravel for the last week. She felt exhausted, despite having just woken up and felt her eyes begin to droop as the blob in the room shifted closer to her.

"No baby, stay awake for me." Shisui put both of his hands on either side of his head and moved his face closer to hers. Her glasses had been crushed during the fight and he could tell that her eyes were having difficulty focusing on him. "Right here, sweetheart, you need to stay awake. Okay?" Shisui pressed the call button on the side of the bed. A nurse walked in a few moments later and began to take Katya's vital signs.

"I'll fetch a medic-nin, Shisui-sama," the nurse said as she bustled around the room, fetching a pitcher and filling it with water before exiting.

"Love you…" Katya trailed off, her eyes drooping shut once more. Shisui began to shake her shoulders gently.

"You need to stay awake, Kat. The medic-nin want to evaluate you while you're awake. Here, drink some water." Shisui slipped the straw between her lips as her eyes cracked open once more and she took a large gulp.

"Glasses?" He placed his forehead to hers while holding the sides of her face in his hands.

"We'll get you new ones, don't worry about it. I'm so glad you're awake...I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Before Katya could finish asking why he was sorry, Tsunade and Shizune walked in.

"So, you've finally decided to grace us with your presence," the busty blonde said sarcastically while flipping through her chart. She passed the clipboard to Shizune before beginning her exam. "That's interesting, you do have Senju chakra...huh. All right, let's start with the eyes." Tsunade pulled out a pen-light from her haori and flashed it in Katya's eyes. "Give it a four, Shizune. But mark it down as needing an appointment with ophthalmology. I want to make sure that nothing was missed in the global structure with that fracture." Putting the light away she took out a sharp pen instead and started touching Katya's toes. "Interesting. Can you feel that?"

"A little bit, it's very numb."

"Give her reflexes a three. Try moving the toe I just touched." Katya complied and the toe moved slightly. "Make that a four, instead. Put her down for some rehab, though. Looks like her brain didn't get the message that the nerves were fully repaired. Give her a five in verbal. She's speaking just fine. Alright, now raise both arms." Katya did so but with difficulty. "I thought as much. Add that to the rehab list, Shizune. That's thirteen out of fifteen; the minimum to leave this hospital is twelve out of fifteen. Congrats, kid, you can go home tomorrow!" The former Hokage briskly walked out of the room, leaving a frazzled Shizune in her wake.

"Sorry about that, Katya-san. Are you in any pain?"

"Just my throat is a bit sore…" Shisui noticeably stiffened at the reminder but forced himself to relax again.

"You had a cricothyroidotomy, that's to be expected. Do you remember anything that happened?"

"Not really, to be honest. Was I put in another genjutsu?"

The older woman looked down in sympathy. "No, you were physically assaulted. Well, we'll see if your memory of the event comes back in time. For now, what is the last thing you remember?"

"Um. I remember having tea at the Uchiha complex and talking to Izumi-chan about a girls' night as I left." Shizune ruffled the paperwork on the clipboard.

"That's not bad at all Katya-san! When Hana Inuzuka visited, she said that happened four days ago. That means you've only lost about twenty-four hours. I suspect you'll probably regain your memories of the event in a couple of months or less," Shizune smiled widely at her. "See, Shisui-san; I told you she would make it."

Shisui gave a small smile in return. His eyes started to mist after Shizune left the room. He put his forehead back on Katya's and held her close with his hands around her face. Shisui stroked her cheek with the edge of his thumb. Katya raised her hand as far as she could and gripped the side of his shirt. She pressed her head against him and inhaled the familiar scent while closing her eyes.

"I'm so happy that you're awake. I love you… so much." His tears began to fall on her cheeks as he continued, "I don't know what I'd do without you. Please stay with me."

"'Sui, I love you too... I'm tired..." Katya said softly, her voice still rough from disuse and scar tissue.

"Right, sleep then. But wake up soon. I'll go get some ramen or maybe yakisoba or taiyaki, we can do dessert first, or all three? How does that sound? I'll get whatever you want. Seriously. Just tell me."

"Love, I'm fine. Get whatever sounds good to you. I'm not going anywhere, I promise... Teuchi-san is probably worried that you haven't been around for a few days, anyway." The blonde Uchiha had to take several breaks while saying this and Shisui gave her the straw for her water again.

"Maybe I should stay…"

"Go, love. I'll be fine," Katya said tiredly, closing her eyes and dropping her head back to the pillow.

"Okay, you rest and I'll find something better than hospital food." Shisui left the room and closed the door softly after noticing that his wife had already fallen asleep.

* * *

**AN: **

Amatsu Mikaboshi is the chaos kami in the shinto religion; credit for his introduction goes to Cherryberry12

Shujin-sama: traditional word for one's own husband

Kotoamatsukami are the original three kami, also Shisui's family's patron gods.

Okay, so every attempt to be respectful towards Shintoism was made. That being said; I was born and raised Catholic, so some things may have fallen by the wayside and for that, I apologize.

Posted: 25 April 2020


	13. On the Other Side of Reason

Chapter 13 Beta’ed by the astute, astronomical, astonishing: **Cherryberry12**

* * *

** _4:30 a.m., 12 Mar 72, Konoha, Shisui_ **

“I thought I might find you here,” a baritone voice called out from behind the treeline where Shisui sat overlooking the Nakano river. This had been their special training spot for the past sixteen years. It was the place where he had attempted suicide. It was where Itachi developed his mangekyo. But it was also where their bond was forged and hardened into tempered steel. 

“You found me,” Shisui said simply without looking at the long-haired man beside him.

“I am sorry.” 

Shisui sighed in response, “No, you’re not. You did what you always do, Itachi. You do what you think is the best plan without taking in others’ input. You are not an army of one. You cannot control everyone like that. You’re not sorry because you don’t believe that you did anything wrong. To you, using Katya as bait was only logical.”

“I was protecting the village. You are an important part of the village’s security. I could not...”

“And she’s not?!” Shisui yelled back abruptly at his younger friend yet maintained tight control of his chakra. “She’s part of this village too, Itachi! Our clan is part of this village! You see everyone as a potential threat to Konoha but you don’t care about threats to the individuals living here. I really thought,” he chuckled ruefully before continuing, “I really thought that you were going to be better than the Sandaime and the Niidaime. But just like them, you’re passing premature judgment, after all of this you still think she could be an enemy. It almost makes me believe that in another life you would have killed every member of our clan under orders down to the last child. Except for, of course, Sasuke. I mean, who gives a fuck about human life when there’s a village to protect afterall, right?” Shisui shook his head and angrily tossed a rock towards the waterfall. 

“I made an error. I was protecting your honor as a shinobi of Konohagakure while rooting out the mole. I need you by my side. I need you running the security of this village because there is no one else that I trust as much as you. For you to be able to do that without scrutiny from the elder council your reputation must remain spotless,” Itachi said, frustrated with his best friend’s lack of understanding.

“Fuck the elder council. They’re treasonous snakes that should have been dealt with years ago.”

“Shisui. Be careful.”

“No, I’m done being careful. Thanks to you and your ridiculous orders my wife was almost killed. I  _ almost _ cannot believe that you used her as bait for your pet project. I will tell you now, Itachi, I will burn this village to the ground before I see her dead.”

“Shisui. Stop.” The rokudaime hokage looked at his friend in shock.

“What is the village, Itachi? Is it the pile of rocks that we live on? Or is it the people that are supposed to be protected within these walls? Have we not failed as leaders if even one of them is harmed? We talk about the will of fire and then send eight year-old kids to the front lines. You decided to use a petite civilian woman, who you knew would be easily injured in a shinobi-level fight, as bait because it was the easiest way to route out a single mole. It’s all bullshit. Consider me thoroughly disillusioned.”

Itachi sighed, “Be careful with your words, Shisui. The trees are listening. You may be angry with me, but you are more angry with yourself.” The young Hokage scrubbed a hand down his face. “Eiji Ueda was dead before I could extract further information from him. Genma claims to have only broken his jaw and used a paralytic. It was Katya’s cut to his side that ultimately killed him. I did not know you kept poison on your blades.”

“Just the spare tanto; she knew about it. It’s a basic anti-coagulant, nothing fancy. I knew she would not be fast enough to do much damage if there was ever an emergency and she had to use it. Obviously it works too slowly.” Shisui let out a slow exhale, “Look, I get why you used her and I am so angry with you right now but you’re right, I am also angry with myself. I keep thinking, I should have fixed the front door. I should have taken more time to actually train her myself... I should have delegated at the office better so that she would know I love her more than anything else.” 

“She knows you love her. The entire clan knows it too, that is why I made that decision. My informant had been of the opinion that the mole personally hated you.”

Shisui chuckled humorously, “Of course everyone fucking knows it. One of the few things I thought would help protect her is the very thing that put her in danger. I was so naive to believe that her being a part of our clan would help keep her safe.

“I keep thinking maybe if I had been home more often she wouldn’t have felt the need to work so many hours. Then maybe she wouldn’t have taught that class. Maybe if I had been around her a bit more in public then it would have made her a harder target.”

“It would have been impossible for you to guess that would have happened. Just as it was impossible for me to say with certainty that the mole would risk everything to get to you through her. There are only two people to blame, Eiji Ueda and Inabi Uchiha.”

“But there was the possibility... Inabi’s your mole?”

“ANBU apprehended him as a suspected deserter when he was caught making his way out of the village without clearance. I led the interrogation myself.”

“He’s comatose, then?”

“Aa.”

“Shame.”

“Indeed. If you need me to take over for Hana, I will.”

Shisui snorted, “Look, Itachi, I don’t exactly trust you to keep my wife safe right now. It’s going to take some time for that trust to be built up again.”

“I understand.”

“She wanted me to invite you over for dinner. I guess she has something to talk about with the both of us present. Consider yourself invited. 6:30.” Shisui shunshinned away to the KMPH to complete his morning workout. 

* * *

** _8:00 a.m., Somewhere in Konoha, Hana Inuzuka_ **

Hana Inuzuka had been staying at the Uchihas’ apartment since Katya was released from the hospital two days ago. She had taken some days off and was placed on emergency call at the veterinary clinic. Shisui was indispensable at the KMPH at the moment while they were reviewing every single officer with a team of ANBU interrogators. 

The new KMPH chief had had enough of the subversive behavior amongst his subordinates and decided that the force needed a major overhaul. Hana was worried about her friend. She felt that this entire situation was messing with his mind and causing him to be irrational. And Shisui was  ** _never_ ** irrational. The veterinarian had decided to stay with the Uchiha couple to help Katya around the house when her husband was not home. (The poor woman could barely put her pants on or walk to the bathroom alone due to nerve damage). 

Inevitably though, Shisui was only gone for a grand total of five hours a day. Hana suspected that he was leaving a shadow clone at the office in his stead which was not at all ideal and could only end badly if he were discovered. 

Speaking of being worried, she was very worried about the wobbly blonde that was currently leaning on Hai. Katya had refused to stay in the apartment. Even though she hadn’t been able to dress by herself that morning, she still insisted that she needed to walk around. In any other circumstances, helping her friend into spandex workout leggings would have been out right hilarious. But, because Katya could barely move anything below her hips without careful thought, it was less humorous. The smaller woman even had difficulty putting on her husband’s oversized KMPF sweatshirt before they left the house. Hana had to tie her sneakers for her too. 

“I still maintain that this is a bad idea. Shisui is going to be pissed if he finds out you went against Tsunade’s orders of strict bed rest.”

“Shisui won’t find out, Hana. Chill. I needed the fresh air.”

“As a medic I want it shown that this is the worst idea you’ve ever had.”

“Worse than drinking shots that one time at a seedy bar?” Katya said with a mischievous glint in her eye as she leaned further onto Hai. Ma and Ru were trailing behind them, ready to catch her if she fell. “Just a second, Hai. I need to catch my breath.”

“We haven’t even gone an eighth of a mile, Kat! And if you think he was annoyed when he had to get us out of the drunk tank you’ll be in for a real shock when he sees you outside right now.”

“Hey, he got fabulous make-up sex out of that deal,” Katya said between pants. 

“Again about your sex life. Do you really need peppers this badly? I can pick out decent peppers for you. You look pathetic.” The civilian woman was draped over the largest Haimaru triplet with one knee on the ground, panting. The poor dog looked at Hana for help who sighed before getting on one knee and pulling her friend’s arm over her shoulder and supporting her waist with the other. 

“Thank you, Hana-chan. I think I may have vastly overestimated my abilities.” 

“No shit. Come on, let’s try to get you home before your husband finds out.” The kunoichi turned around and helped her civilian friend move at a glacial pace towards the apartment block when her burden was suddenly lifted from her. 

“Hey! Put me down!” Katya screeched while trying to wiggle free from the male’s hold. 

“Hmm. Let me think about that…” Shisui said, tapping his chin with his finger in mock thought, “Absolutely not. I go out to workout for only a few hours and here I come back to find you hobbling along the side of the road almost passed out. Are you trying to end up back in the hospital?”

“No, but I need to walk. I have most of the feeling back.” 

Shisui snorted, “‘Most of,’ how very reassuring. And you lovely ladies were planning on going where? The market? That’s one mile away. Congratulations, you made it an eighth of the way there.”

“Oi! I tried to talk her out of it.”

“And yet here we are.”

“What’d you expect me to do? Tie her up with a bow and leave her on your bed?”

“That actually sounds fun and sklinky, mebbe we shoulder ry tha,” Katya said as she tried to wink at Shisui. Instead, the wink came out lopsided as her face started to droop and go slack as she completely lost consciousness.

“That would be the narcotics kicking in. At least you remembered your morning dose,” Shisui sighed as he trotted up the stairs to their apartment, followed closely behind by the kunoichi and her ninken. “Kakashi will be over later today. He owes me a favor and he’s going to put up some security seals. Uhm, please make sure she keeps her clothes on.”

“Wait, what? That’s been a problem before?”

“Yeah, she said she gets funny on narcotics. The last time she was given a prescription for them she ran around her grandparent’s farm naked and her cousin had to drag her back to the farmhouse. Although, it’s possible her cousin made that story up for a laugh. He’s like that sometimes.”

“She...doesn’t like...want a threesome does she? That’d be kind of awkward…”

Shisui started laughing until his sides hurt. “No, she was just talking about being tied up. Neither of us are into polyamory, not that you needed to know.”

Hana exhaled, “You’re both perverts. And my mom thinks I’m bad for having a new lover every month.”

“Probably so. I thought you were steady with that one guy from your clan?”

“Nah, I kicked his ass to the curb when I found out his beliefs on monogamy.”

“Oh, and what were those?” Shisui asked as he settled his unconscious wife onto their bed. He removed her shoes before tucking her under the covers.

“That I should be monogamous and he should not.”

“Ouch. Want me to beat him up for you?”

“Hah. No shit. And, no thanks, I already did. I think you guys got lucky finding each other. I’ll be single forever,” the Inuzuka lamented as she threw herself dramatically on the other side of the bed. “Ew. This side smells like you.” Shisui simply raised his eyebrow in amusement. 

“I know some ANBU guys that are single if you want to be set up on a blind date.”

“Ugh. Don’t tell me you’re talking about Raido.”

Shisui rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, “Well yeah, I was talking about Raido. He’s a nice guy, very loyal and steadfast.” 

“He’s too… I dunno... serious.”

“What about Genma, then?” the Uchiha asked as the pair walked towards the kitchen to start the coffee maker. 

“Don’t you keep up with hot gossip, ‘Sui? He’s dating Shizune, finally. They’ve only been making moon eyes at each other for over twenty years. Everyone knows he only slept with half the village because he couldn’t have her.”

“Uh, Iruka?”

“He’s gay, not bi. And he’s engaged to Kakashi. Damn, do you live under a rock?” Shisui held up his hands in surrender. 

“Sorry, I’ve been super busy. Well is there anybody that you _ want  _ to date?” 

“What are you, the pimp for male jounin, Shisui?” Hana laughed loudly. 

“Nah, just a concerned friend. Besides, you’re fairly attractive. I don’t see why you would have much trouble convincing them yourself.”

“Thanks, Shisui. That was actually very kind.”

“I can be kind without turning it into a joke every now and then. Seriously though, Raido is a great guy. He wouldn’t cheat on someone he’s dating. I think you both would be well matched.”

“Hmm. I’ll think about it.” Hana began to grow a wolfish grin on her face before turning back to her male friend. “So she really wants you to tie her up.”

‘Oh two can play this game: embarrassment chicken. It’s so on, Hana-chan.’ Shisui thought before a shit-eating grin spread on his face. 

* * *

** _6:00 p.m., The Uchiha Apartment, Shisui_ **

“Come on, ‘Sui, let me help,” Katya begged as she kissed Shisui’s upper back while she held herself upright by his hips. He was standing over the kitchen counter re-reading a recipe for the tenth time to make sure he understood the instructions. It wasn’t that he was particularly bad at cooking, he just didn’t do it often enough for his movements to be smooth. 

“Go sit down, sweetheart. I got this. You need to be resting. You said you wanted to make Hana a set of dishcloths for when she moves out of her mom’s house, right? Or, better yet, you could go read that novel Kakashi-senpai got you.”

“Shisui, I’ve been on my ass for more than a week. I need to do something productive. I don’t want to be useless.” 

Shisui turned around in his wife’s arms before holding her face in his hands, “You are not,” he kissed her forehead, “ever going to be,” he kissed both of her cheeks, “useless.” He finished by kissing her lips then nose before surprising her by scooping her up in his arms and laying her down on the couch. Katya’s cheeks had a light blush that made his chest swell with masculine pride. He grabbed one of the throw blankets from the back of the couch while she was still slightly dazed before tucking it around her. 

“Oi! I don’t want to lay down!” she protested. 

“Mm, too late. Here,” he said smugly as he handed her the novel that Kakashi had brought. “‘Blackwing Dragon’. Oh look, it has sex! Enjoy,” Shisui said with a smug grin as he flipped to a graphically written sex scene before handing the book to his wife. 

“Shisui!”

“Yes?” he asked as his grin grew wider.

“You can’t just start with the smut, what are you, some kind of wild animal raised in a barn?” 

Shisui laughed at this and kissed his wife’s hairline before returning to the kitchen to cook their meal before Itachi arrived. He had half a mind to cook steak since he was still on the angry side of normal where Itachi was concerned. And that weasel hated steak. Actually, now that Shisui came to think of it, steak sounded perfect. It was much easier than the recipe Kat had written out for him, anyway. He wasn’t feeling petty at all. 

Itachi arrived as Shisui pulled the steak and potatoes out of the oven. It appeared that Katya had fallen asleep at some point in the last thirty minutes as there were red marks on her face from the throw pillow. 

“I’ll get it babe, you just stay there,” he hollered from the kitchen before the woman could set her feet on the ground.

“Jesus Christ, Shisui, I’m not an invalid,” she grumbled back at him while trying to plant her feet on the ground. She rubbed her legs to improve the blood circulation like the physical therapist wanted. 

He suddenly appeared in front of her from her seated position on the couch causing her to squeak in surprise. “No, you’re not. But I like taking care of you.” He put a hand behind her head and kissed her soundly. When he pulled back he noticed that the blush had returned and it made him smile. There was another polite knock at the door before he finally got up to answer it. 

Itachi walked into the apartment after stopping to remove his shoes at the entryway. Shisui shot him a look that seemed to say, ‘You better not say anything to upset her.’ The Hokage held up his hands in surrender before the overprotective husband walked back to the couch to help Katya stand up. 

“Babe, I can walk on my own.”

“Sure you can, and I can help.” He smiled at her in response as she rolled her eyes. 

“Itachi, nice to see you. You can take a seat.” Itachi gave a slight nod before passing a small paper bag to Katya and sitting down.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“Dango from Uchiha Senbei.”

“Thank you, that was very nice of you.”

“You’re welcome.” Shisui set aside four steaks for Hana and the Haimaru triplets to have after they came back from their clan duties. He plated three more uncut steaks with potatoes and broccoli before setting them at the table with steak knives and forks. He felt very smug and smirked discreetly at Itachi’s noticeable discomfort. The poor man hated using knives while at the table almost as much as he hated steak. 

“Is everything alright, Itachi?” Katya asked. Shisui scowled at the long-haired man, daring him to say something in response.

“Everything is fine, gishi-san. Thank you.” Katya preened at being addressed as his sister-in-law, while Shisui gave him a look that said he wasn’t so easily bought.

“Right well, I asked for Shisui to invite you to dinner so that I could tell you both what happened when I was comatose.” Katya then went on to tell the two men about the visit from Izanami-no-Mikoto and what Amaterasu had offered both herself and Shisui. 

“So we were right. We’re a part of a multiverse, afterall,” Shisui said as he leaned back in his chair. 

Itachi looked skeptical. “How do you know this wasn’t a dream?”

“I don’t. But my dreams are never quite that vivid. But you do have a way of seeing if I’m lying, Itachi.” Katya made eye contact with the younger man.

“No.” Shisui said, slamming his hand on the table.

“The tsukuyomi leaves those I use it on comatose afterwards. But you are correct, I would be able to ascertain the truth.” 

“No. I swear to all the kami, Itachi, you better not even be entertaining this idea!”

“I am not. The seal you placed on her would not permit me to use it in the first place. Even if it were to be true, it would not concern me anyway as the decision is not mine to make.”

“Calm down, ‘Sui.”

“Calm down? Calm down?! You expect me to calm down? Woman, you have a death wish! You think you can do all these things and that it will be just fine! I can’t protect you if you constantly are throwing yourself into danger!” 

Shisui then pitched his voice to sound like Katya, “Oh, Itachi, you can just use your most powerful genjutsu on me, no big deal. I’ll only be back in a COMA. Oh, I’ll just teach at the shinobi school with absolutely no protection or safeguards, it’ll be fine. Oh, I’ll go to the bar with my kunoichi friends and pretend I have the same capabilities to defend myself as them.” Shisui hadn’t noticed that he had started yelling, nor that his sharingan was activated. The tomoe in his red eyes were spinning dangerously, “Or here’s my personal favorite: I won’t tell my shinobi husband that our apartment is unsafe when he’s not home.”

Katya’s mouth fell open and she raised her hand to cover it as her eyes started to burn with unshed tears. Shisui had never before, in ten years of knowing each other, raised his voice in anger towards her. He was always calm and full of patience. Right now, however, he was a man on the edge. 

“Please excuse me,” Katya said quietly, bowing her head and slowly standing from the table before gingerly making her way towards their bedroom and locking the door behind her. 

“Shisui, maybe…”

“No. Please leave, Itachi.”

“As you wish. We will talk when you’ve calmed.” He left quietly. He knew better than to be involved in a marital spat. 

Shisui stayed at his kitchen table and leaned the back of his head against the wall. He took his hitai-ate off and ran his hands through his hair before pressing them against his eyes and forehead to ward off the incoming headache. 

Two hours had passed before Katya emerged from the bedroom. She knelt in front of his chair by balancing her hands on his knees before taking his hands in hers. Katya looked into his eyes and placed one of his hands on her cheek and placed her own hand on his. 

“I love you. Unconditionally. In this life, in the next. It’s you and me forever. I’m sorry that I scared you. And I’m sorry for taking unnecessary risks. I’m sorry for not telling you about the apartment. I’m sorry for not talking to you about Eiji before he became a problem. I’m sorry for making this harder than it should be, Shisui. I’m not perfect, but I love you with every fiber of my being and inch of my soul. Whatever troubles you have, you can tell me. Don’t leave me in the dark.”

“Gods, Kat. Come here.” Shisui lifted her to her feet as he stood at the same time and walked her backwards to the living room with his hands on her waist and their foreheads touching. “Dance with me,” he whispered against her lips as he reached behind her to start their song. “There’s nothing to forgive, baby. I’m sorry for yelling. I’m sorry for not taking better care of you. And _ I’m _ sorry that I put you at risk. I’m so so sorry that I failed to protect you. I let you down when you needed me the most.”

“Shisui, it takes two. You don’t need to take care of me. You’ve tried so hard already. Let me help you. Please. You’ve never failed me. You’ve never let me down.” Katya kissed his lips while stroking his cheek with her thumb and running a soothing hand along his shoulder blade. “Forgive yourself, love. Guilt is toxic. The only person who believes they have failed is you. If you need forgiveness, forgive yourself. I can’t forgive you for committing a wrong when you haven’t done so.”

“Okay, Kat. I’ll try,” Shisui said as he kissed her. 

“That’s all I ask. Um, love?”

“Yeah?”

“I need you to help me walk, I did too much today.” Shisui chuckled at this before swinging her legs into his arms and carrying her to bed with him.

* * *

  
  


**AN: ** **Please leave a review, I try to reply as soon as I get them. :) If you liked this fic be sure to hit follow to have update alerts!**

‘Blackwing Dragon’, is a shifter romance by TS Joyce part of the Harper’s Mountains series. 

The song I had in mind was something like ‘Loco’ by Enrique Iglesias y India Martinez. Or possibly ‘Unconditionally’ by Katy Perry I know, I should have brought some gouda to go with that cheese fondue. ‘Your love makes me crazy.’

Posted: 26 April 2020

Updated: 19 May 2020


	14. Chapter 14: Gutter-Mind

Beta’ed by:  **CherryBerry12**

* * *

  
  


** _Five Weeks Later, Friday 16 April 72, Konoha Ninja Academy, Katya _ **

Katya had finally been able to return to her job a week ago. The jounin from R&D who was the temporary advanced mathematics teacher had been relieved to see her. Teaching was not his strong suit. Shisui and she finally had their life back to normal after their ‘Come to Jesus’ moment. It had been a long five weeks of daily physical therapy and medical ninjutsu sessions as well as twice-weekly mental health appointments with the Yamanaka Clan.

Between Itachi, Shisui, and herself they had decided that she and Shisui should go back to the old Akatsuki caves in the riverlands to investigate the apparent dreamscape portal. To do that, however, she needed to be in optimal physical condition and at least be able to jump through the trees. They could not, after all, spare their KMPF Chief for more than a week, especially after the Eiji and Inabi incidents. Everyone knew that Inabi was an asshat, but no one expected him to release a criminal from the KMPH’s own cells. Let alone be the mole that was releasing information to the Uchiha deserters that had joined the new hidden village, Tobari. 

That morning Katya’s loving husband proved he had a sadistic streak, albeit a small one. He had apparently gone to the sex store (henged so as not to subject his wife to the scorn of elders who had nothing better to do) to pick up the latest copy of ‘Icha Icha’ after the legacy author released it. In doing so, he picked up other items that caught his eye. One of which he had convinced his wife to wear at work. She was still trying to figure out exactly why she agreed to this and how he talked her into it. 

Currently, she was shaking in her office moments away from an orgasm when the vibrating panties suddenly shut off. ‘Oh God, it has a remote,’ she thought. She looked at the window to find a smug Shisui perched on the ledge. 

“That was mean,” she said as she opened the window for him.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Kat.” The uniformed police chief gave her a wolfish grin as he stepped into the office. 

“You better be coming in here to finish the job!” Katya huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Shisui tapped his finger to his chin in mock thought, “Oh, in a position to make demands, are we?” He punctuated this statement by turning the vibrating underwear on, too low for his wife to get off but high enough for her to feel needy. 

“God, turn it off if you’re just going to tease,” she moaned.

“No need to call me God, sweetheart. Shisui is just fine.” Katya gave him an unimpressed glare and whimpered slightly when he raised the vibrations. “Besides, you said this morning that it was the best naughty idea we’ve had in a while.” He took her mouth and gave her a long lingering kiss before kissing his way down her neck to the collar of her shirt. He had one hand unbuttoning her blouse and the other pulling her ass towards him. When the blouse opened he pulled the straps of her camisole and bra part way down her arms which restrained their movement. She moaned in response as his tongue teased one of her nipples. 

* * *

“Katya-san, is everything all right? Do I need to find your husband?” Iruka asked from the other side of the office door. Usually his kouhai’s door remained open; especially since the incident, as they had taken to calling it.

* * *

“Best keep quiet, don’t want your senpai to know how naughty you are, Katya-sensei. Who knows how much noise this genjutsu actually blocks out,” Shisui whispered in her ear. Katya panted as her husband continued his ministrations on her breasts. 

* * *

  
  


“Katya-san, are you okay? Are you having an episode?” the chuunin asked again, this time jiggling the door handle only to find it locked with a glowing security seal. The couple heard the sounds of his footsteps receding. 

* * *

  
  


Shisui quickly unzipped the back of his wife’s skirt to have more room to maneuver as he turned the vibrator on high and started thrusting his finger inside her. Katya started to moan loudly which he caught in his own mouth. “Come for me baby. Come on my hand.” He pressed the vibrator portion of her panties firmly against her clit with the heel of his hand while rubbing the rough spot inside of her with his fingers every thrust. 

Katya keened loudly and thrust her head back before screaming, “Oh God, Shisui!” 

“Fuck, yes. Get it, Kat.” He said with a gruff voice in her ear as he slowed his finger to draw out her orgasm.

* * *

  
  


“It sounds to me as though she already has plenty of help,” Kakashi drawled from the other side of the door. “Unless you still want me to deactivate that security seal and pick the lock.”

“Kakashi! You can’t possibly do that! They’re probably indecent!” Iruka sounded flustered from the other side of the door. 

* * *

Katya was panting in relief with her forehead on his shoulder after Shisui turned off the vibrator. 

“Kami, you are sexy,” he whispered, stroking her bottom lip with his thumb, flashing his sharingan to capture the moment. “I love how flushed your chest and face get when you come. How wet you get when you finish on my hand. Mm. And these breasts.” Shisui palmed one of her breasts and sucked the nipple before finishing his sentence with a loud pop, “are glorious.”

“Oi, Shisui, drop your cock and grab your socks. Iruka wants to check on his, and I quote, ‘sweet and innocent’ kouhai,” Kakashi said after knocking on the door a couple of times.

“What the hell?” Shisui looked at the door, shocked. He hurriedly started straightening Katya’s clothing.

“I thought you put up a genjutsu!”

“I did!”

“How the hell did they hear that then? It always works when we’re in  _ your _ office.”

“I don’t know. Fix your hair, love,” he said as he pulled the zipper back up on her skirt and smoothed out her panties and slip. Katya released the now messy and ruffled bun from its coils and started finger-combing her hair. She gave up and pulled a small plastic comb from her desk drawer and was in the middle of fixing it when Kakashi opened the door. 

“How did you negate my genjutsu without me even feeling it?” Shisui questioned while blocking the other man’s view of Katya. He had only been teasing when he said that she needed to be quiet; the last thing he thought possible was that  _ his _ silencing genjutsu would fail. He hadn’t had a genjutsu fail since he was seven!

“Oh, it’s the new security seal that Iruka asked me to make for the civilian offices. Good to know that it works… He was very upset that your wife was attacked. And naturally a happy spouse makes for a happy house and all of that. So I put effort behind this particular seal. One of the clauses says that the caster won’t feel the disruption because it directs the genjutsu into a seperate time-space.”

“Huh. You’re always one step ahead of everyone, Kakashi-senpai,” Shisui said, crossing his arms over his chest. 

* * *

** _Saturday 17 April 72, The Uchihas’ Apartment_ **

The morning was still and quiet, the sky outside overcast as the springtime sun tried to peep through the cloud cover. The Uchiha couple lay lazily in their shared bed with their naked bodies pressed against one another underneath the covers. It had been a long time since they had this luxury. Six weeks ago when Katya started displaying the more overt signs of PTSD, they had quit having sex. Even before that, however, what they had was rushed even if it was daily. Both of them had been far too busy with work. Katya couldn’t remember the last time that they had simply lain with one another in the quiet of their bedroom. It must have been November; before all of the madness of the last six months. 

“I missed this,” she said quietly from her place on his shoulder. He pulled her in closer and kissed her hairline. 

“Me too. Do you want to go through with what Izanami-sama offered? We won’t have this for a long time. Or possibly ever again. Soulmate doesn’t necessarily mean lover.”

“You have the worst pillowtalk sometimes, ‘Sui,” she groused causing him to chuckle. “It’s your choice too.” She moved over to lean more on top of him before kissing the side of his jaw then settling her face in the crook of his neck. “I feel like...if we could affect the present and save half a million people… it could only be a good thing, ya know? Just knowing that it’s an  _ option _ while we lay here comfortably makes me feel guilty.”

“I know. Me too. I wonder if we would have been able to save Obito from himself… He was actually a really fun cousin when I was a kid. He disappeared the same year I got the mangekyo...” 

“I didn’t know that. It sounds like it was a horrible year.”

“It was tough. My mom…my mom had passed away when I was seven. I was actually out on a mission when it happened. It’s funny, I got the sharingan and the mangekyo within the span of two years.”

“That’s not very funny,” Katya said, poking him in the ribs. She settled back on to her side. “I wonder who my physical parents are supposed to be in this dimension. Obviously my yin chakra came from somewhere in the Senju line. But isn’t that line very diluted right now?”

“Hmm. Well it’s not so diluted as it was purposely wiped out.” Katya startled at that. “Oh yeah, we found some documents back when Danzo was killed. Releasing the documents to Fugaku was one of the concessions the Sandaime offered.”

“Oh great, so if we go back then I could die a wonderfully early death,” she said sarcastically. 

“Hey, there’s nothing on Earth that could keep me from protecting you this time,” he whispered. 

“I don’t need you to protect me, Shisui. I need you to believe in my abilities to be strong enough to protect myself.”

“I can’t… I can’t watch you go through that again, Kat.” He rubbed his face with one hand before running it through his messy curls. 

“Hey, it’ll be okay. Besides, wouldn’t I be trained as a shinobi this time around? And we’d be together, so we can watch each other’s back.”

Shisui sighed, “There’s a thought. If I had to guess we’d probably see Amaterasu-sama when we reach that old cave. I have a suspicion that it’s not actually a choice either.”

“Maybe, but why would she say it is a choice if it’s not?”

“No idea. But at least you’ve gotten your chakra control good enough to be able to jump through the trees with me. That’ll reduce our traveling time to about three days to get to the caves. I want to try and leave on Wednesday.”

“Sounds good to me.” Katya smiled up at him mischievously before biting his shoulder and causing him to groan. “Round three?” she said impishly before he grinned and rolled them over.

* * *

  
  


** _9 p.m., Tuesday 20 April 72, Konohagakure Shinobi Academy_ **

The building was dark, the timers for the hallway lights having long since turned off. There was a slight chill in the air as the mist from the springtime evening rolled into Konoha. There was one room, however, that had all of its lights on and a window open, letting the cool breeze in. In truth, it looked like someone was attempting to break-in when Taika Uchiha was on his patrol rounds. He went to investigate the well-lit room and found a woman with long blonde hair and glasses staring at the whiteboard in front of her with her arms crossed under her chest. 

The young patrol officer was about to walk away when he noticed that the woman was wearing an old navy-blue KMPF hoodie. ‘Probably someone’s girlfriend,’ Taika thought. He assumed that whoever this woman belonged to must surely be someone of a decent rank considering the age and wear of the hoodie. There was also a good chance that that officer was close with the chief himself, if he was willing to date and claim an outsider! Never one to miss out on an opportunity for advancement, he walked in the room determined to escort the young woman home. And ingratiate himself with whoever her man (or woman) was. 

“Uh, miss,” he started.

The blonde woman startled before looking at a familiar watch. Taika knew he’d seen that watch before but he couldn’t quite remember where. “Oh, it is rather late, isn’t it. Tch, and I had just gotten to the good part too… ah well. Your name is Taika, correct?”

“Uh, hai, yeah, my name is Taika. I’m with the KMPF. May I escort you home, Miss… ?”

“Sorry, my husband told me your name before. It’s Katya. Nice to officially meet you, Taika-san.” She bowed slightly in greeting.

‘Katya? As in, Katya Uchiha, the Chief’s wife? Jackpot!’ Taika thought. Maybe he’d finally get a promotion and get out of all of this drudge work. All he needed to do was escort a civilian woman home. Simple. Easy. But wait, this woman was a trouble magnet. Oh shit. No. Bad plan, bad plan! If something were to happen to her on his watch! Oh gods! Shisui-sama would have his head. ‘Walk away now, Taika. Walk away before you get in over your head or lose it entirely!’ 

“Uhm, are you okay, Taika-san?” The blonde asked, concerned. She put her hands in front of her and felt the teen’s forehead before backing away. “You’re not feverish. Hmm, maybe you should head back to the KMPH and get someone to replace you. You don’t look well at all.”

‘Yes, off the hook! Thank you, Kami!’ Taika inwardly celebrated. “Oh, yeah. Ya know what, I’m not feeling all that well. That’s a good suggestion. Thank you, Katya-sama!” He scuttled out of the classroom quickly leaving behind the bewildered woman who shrugged and went back to looking at the whiteboard. 

He was about to walk out of the main academy doors when he saw the police chief himself walk up to the building.

“Taika-kun, is there a reason that you’re leaving a civilian instructor alone in the academy after-hours where they could be subject to an attack?” Shisui asked kindly.

Taika stuttered, “Uh… uh… no, sir! She said I should go back to the KMPH, sir.”

“And we listen to the orders of civilians now, Taika-kun? Curfew for civilians in this village begins at 9 p.m. every night without exception. There is a reason for that. Civilians are more prone to attack after hours. As members of the KMPF we are charged with the protection of everyone in this village. The next time you see a civilian out and about after curfew, I expect you to insist on  _ kindly _ escorting them back to their place of residence barring any emergency. Am I clear?”

“Hai, Shisui-taichou!”

“Good, dismissed.” Shisui gave him a friendly smile before heading into the building himself, intent on figuring out why  _ his _ civilian was not at home already. Preferably in something sexy while sprawled out on his bed. Hm… maybe that red lacy... ‘No, mind out of the gutter, Shisui!’ he thought to himself, ‘with the straps everywhere…’ his traitorous mind continued. He shook his head hard, as he walked up the steps to his wife’s lecture hall. 

“Hey, pretty lady,” he greeted, which garnered him a startled blush from Katya as she stood in front of the whiteboard. He smiled with male satisfaction as he always did when he got her to blush. He came up behind her and crossed his arms with hers underneath her chest and planted a kiss on her neck underneath her hairline. “What’re you working on that’s got you staying out of our bed this late, huh?”

Katya’s face and neck turned redder at the reminder of their recent carnal activities. She unconsciously reached a hand to touch the slight bite mark on her shoulder that she had received that morning. “You’re such a perv, ‘Sui. And you know it,” she tutted while raising a hand to bite on the end of a marker. She kissed the hand in hers before walking out of his embrace towards the board and correcting an equation. She then completed the diagram that was on the opposite side of where she was working.

“Tritium, right?”

“Huh, oh yeah. I’m surprised you remember this. It’s been a while for you.”

“Sharingan. Just because I know what I’m looking at doesn’t mean I understand it.”

“Iruka-senpai was working with me on my chakra control today and suggested we try chakra paper. He was curious as to what element I was even though it will be a while yet before I can use one.”

“Oh? And what did it tell you guys?”

“Water and earth, but that got me thinking. What exactly is chakra? You see, no one really knows for sure other than it is Yin and Yang chakra, typically. And then of course, there’s nature chakra. But what is the essence of chakra?”

“And this led to…” he gestured at the board, “all of that? Didn’t your day end at three?”

Katya sighed, “Yeah it did, I just didn’t realize what time it was.”

“Did you even eat dinner?” he asked, concerned. 

“Uh, no I don’t think so.” Her husband shook his head in response before grabbing the marker in her hand and capping it. He started packing up her other writing utensils and notebooks before she had a chance to object.

“Hey, wait, I’m not done!” 

“Mm, yes you are. You’ve been at it for six hours already. Come have dinner with me, my love. Then you can tell me all about your mad scientist ways,” he said with a wink, throwing her book bag over his shoulder. Katya cast a baleful look towards the white board before Shisui caught on and used his sharingan to record the memory of it. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll write a copy of it for you.”

“Really? That’d be great, actually. Thank you.” She smiled at him before kissing his cheek as they walked off towards Ichiraku for ramen. His ears turned slightly pink.

“Ah, we’re leaving in the morning. Do you have everything you need from your office?”

“Yup! I’m all packed and ready to head out. I have my rucksack set to be put in a storage scroll and the spare tanto has that new poison on it that Genma made up. I’ll just finish this problem when we get home.”

* * *

**Omake: Itachi’s Date**

Itachi was preparing to go on a Hanami picnic with Izumi to watch the sakura blossoms in the park when Shisui showed up in his window. He slipped his navy blue shirt over the mesh armor before opening the window for his friend and advisor while deactivating the security seal. 

“Yo, Itachi!” The older man greeted, causing the young Hokage to raise an eyebrow. They had been walking on eggshells around each other since the incident, as Itachi had taken to calling it. Lately, it was unlike Shisui to approach him at all unless it was in an official capacity. After all, even though he may be incredibly angry with Itachi, he was still Shisui of the Leaf and as such had responsibilities as the Hokage’s Supreme Advisor and KMPF Chief. 

“Hello, Shisui. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Mah, can’t a friend just check up on you every once in a while?” Shisui jested. 

“Not when the last thing you called me was, I believe, a ‘frigid heartless asshole of a weasel’.”

“Yeah well, you deserved it. Anyway, I’m here to give you some dating advice, as the super helpful elder brother figure.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yup, you’re lucky I’m so gracious. Kat told me that Izumi told her you’re taking her out on a date, finally.” Shisui threw his arm around the now fully dressed Hokage. “The secret to pleasing a woman,” he whispered conspiratorially while Itachi began to blush and attempt to get out of the other man’s hold on his shoulder, “is knowing the difference between origami and stuffing a chicken.”

Itachi would have sputtered had he been a lesser man. “What does origami and stuffing a chicken have to do with anything?”

“Tch, poor Izumi,” the married man sighed while shaking his head. “You’ll get it later,” He finished with a wink before jumping out of the window.

“I have a door!” Itachi yelled as he shut the window again. “Origami and stuffing a chicken?” Itachi wouldn’t understand what his friend had been saying until he was alone with his girlfriend later that night. 

“That  _ PERVERT _ !” he exclaimed. 

“Itachi?” Izumi asked, concerned.

* * *

AN:  **Please leave a review, I try to reply as soon as I get them. :) If you liked this fic be sure to hit follow to have update alerts!**

Posted: 27 April 2020

Updated: 20 May 2020


	15. The Best Laid Plans Part 1

Beta'ed by: Cherryberry12

* * *

_ **Noon, Thursday, April 22nd 72, Somewhere between Konoha and the Land of Rivers** _

Shisui and Katya had been traveling since dawn. They were only about halfway to the former Akatsuki hideout when Shisui said that they should stop at a nearby roadside teahouse. He claimed that it was one that he visited fairly regularly with Itachi when they ran border patrol missions. Katya felt bad that she was slowing him down so much—she knew that if he wanted to he could have been at the caves yesterday. But damn did she hurt. She was still recovering from the attack and could barely breathe by the time they reached the teahouse. It was impossible that her husband hadn't noticed, judging by the way he was hovering around her.

The teahouse was very small. It had a wooden roof and shutters and white plastered walls on the outside. The only difference between it and a shack were the fabric kanji on the canopy designating it as a teahouse.

"I know it doesn't look like much, but they actually do have great curry here," he said with a wink. "And we could both use a break."

Katya looked at him skeptically while bent over with her hands on shaking knees. Shisui didn't have a single hair out of place and he was breathing at the same rate he did when he was sitting on the couch at home. "I'm fine, love. We can keep going," she said breathlessly, waving one hand in the air.

"Right… I have no doubts, babe... Just, humor me, okay? Oh look! Hayate and Yugao are here."

"I'm gonna throw up…" Katya wailed while quickly pulling back her hair. To his credit, Shisui didn't cringe but helped gather her hair and aim for a convenient bush.

'I was going so slow though!' he thought as his wife was bent over, emptying her stomach. He started rubbing her back with his hand soothingly. He handed over a pocket handkerchief and his canteen when she was finished and pulled her in to lean against his chest away from the mess. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry I'm so slow."

"Mah, you're fine babe. We did cover about 400 miles or so. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard. I'll pay closer attention from now on." He put away the canteen then scooped Katya into his arms before heading towards the teahouse entrance.

"Shisui, put me down. I can walk just fine!"

"Mm. No. Besides, I like having you against my chest," he said with a wink. Katya rolled her eyes at him but a light pink dusted her cheeks that he flared his sharingan to record. He had a feeling that things were about to change drastically for them and wanted to record as many of these moments as he could. Especially since he had, at some point, activated his sharingan when she was in the ICU. He wished he hadn't, but now the memory of her lying lifelessly in a bed hooked up to a ventilator with black finger-shaped marks around her neck would not leave his mind. Shisui thought that might be the reason why he wanted her more than ever, if only to record these small moments and remind himself that she was alive and well. And what better way to prove that than through sex.

"Hi, Yugao-senpai," Katya said, wiggling her fingers awkwardly from Shisui's hold. The ANBU kunoichi looked back at the newly arrived couple with amusement.

"Yo, Hayate-san, Yugao-san. What are you two up to?" Shisui wiggled his eyebrows suggestively while Katya shoved his shoulder. He chuckled and placed her into the booth across from their friends and sat down with her legs over his thighs.

"We just came back from border patrol duty," Hayate said before taking a long drink of the steaming cup of tea in front of him.

"How are you feeling, Katya-chan?" Yugao addressed the younger woman. "Have you been able to keep up with the sensor exercise I showed you a couple of weeks ago?"

"Oh yes, it's been incredibly helpful. I'm able to tune out the chakra signatures that are further than twenty feet. Thank you so much by the way, it was getting difficult to sleep there after a... What on God's green Earth are you doing, Shisui?"

Shisui had removed the desert-tan combat boots that Katya was wearing and had loosened the cords that held her pant hem closed. He raised an eyebrow towards her when she asked her question and pointedly looked down at her very swollen calf. She looked back at him sheepishly while rubbing the back of her neck. The tingling and numbness had been back for a while during their run so she hadn't thought it was this bad. At least he hadn't removed her socks. He started undressing the other calf before replacing it on his knee.

Hayate gave a low whistle. "That looks painful. Hey, I heard about the whole attack thing, is that a leftover?"

Shisui answered for her in a dark tone while rubbing the lymph nodes in her calf, "Yeah it is. You didn't even feel this did you, Kat?" Katya chuckled nervously in response. "Figures. Do I even need to look under your socks or are your feet bleeding too?"

"Oh, it's okay, love. Really, I'm fine. Don't worry so much." The civilian waved her hands in front of her frantically as if it would dissuade her husband from checking her feet. She had thought there might be a blood blister there. She had been proactive and wrapped them in bandages in the morning before putting on her socks. She used to get them during her stint in the army as well, when they had their ruck marches.

Katya tried to pull her foot away when Shisui took off the thick dark green sock and huffed in ill-tempered amusement when he saw the wrapped bandages. He hastily started to unravel them, revealing several open sores on the sides of her foot and the back of her heel. "Kami, Katya. You should have said something…"

"I don't feel anything. It's fine, 'Sui. Honest. My feet get like this all the time on normal ruck marches too. This is nothing. They're not even bleeding…" the blonde peeped at her feet, "...much. Besides, senpai has some medic skills, right, senpai?" She looked at Yugao hopefully.

"Uh, right. That really does not look good, Katya-chan. I don't know the mystic palm jutsu either, so the best you'll get is a quick patch job. You're going to have to soak your feet in salts when you guys get to wherever it is you're going." The purple-haired kunoichi looked at the other woman's feet with concern while moving the toes to check their reflexes.

A waitress walked over with tea and curry Shisui had somehow ordered when Katya wasn't paying attention and gasped, "Goodness, child. You're a mess." The blonde grimaced in response. She winced when Yugao produced an ointment and applied it to the open sores. Unfortunately some of the feeling had returned to her feet as Shisui had massaged the swelling from her legs and reduced the pressure on her nerves.

"Well, we can either go home or continue," he said.

"You're still willing to continue?"

"Well, yeah. It's probably important that we go through with it. I can't imagine waiting would do any good." Shisui turned to notice that Hayate had been listening intently with his head cocked on his hand. He gave the other ANBU shinobi an unimpressed glare.

"Oi, no need to get your panties in a twist, Uchiha. I need to get my gossip from somewhere. You'll turn into Itachi-sama if you're not careful."

Shisui sighed and shook his head ruefully. The two women had begun to talk amongst themselves about sensory abilities. "It's different when it comes to her." The other man quickly sobered in understanding after looking at Yugao from the corner of his eyes.

"Yeah, it is." Sensing his change of mood, Yugao placed a hand on Hayate's thigh subconsciously. He took it into his own and traced small circles on the top with the pad of his thumb. "It really is."

* * *

An hour passed after their lunch break and Shisui was traveling through the trees at a much faster pace now that he was carrying Katya. He planned to head towards an inn that was less than a couple hours walk from the Akatsuki caves.

"You can put me down now, ya know," came the feminine voice from his shoulder.

"Nope." The blonde started tapping her fingers rhythmically on his chest while he started bobbing his head in time. "I forget, you have radios in cars, don't you?"

"Yeah, it definitely makes traveling easier. Too bad we can't sing aloud out here. Can you guess the song?" she said tauntingly.

"Pft, of course," he responded easily. Katya waited for a moment before she started to giggle at the lack of response.

"And what pray tell, my love, is this song?" she asked in a honeyed voice.

"It's… uh… it's…" he started to chuckle when she giggled harder. Both of them did their best to keep quiet which caused the male's shoulders to start shaking uncontrollably with repressed laughter as he stopped on a tree branch. "I love you, you know that?" he said, turning his head to look over his shoulder.

"I love you too." Katya smiled at him and pulled him closer as he jumped through the trees with a small smile on his face.

* * *

The inn that Shisui had chosen reminded him of Itachi. A wave of melancholy passed through him when he thought about his best friend. No one could ever say that Itachi was a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. But he had never been so pessimistic or as ruthlessly pragmatic as he was lately. The police chief wondered what had changed to make his friend turn out this way and why the hell hadn't he noticed before. Was it the war? Or had it been before that?

The inn was a traditional wooden ryokan. Its porch had wooden pillars and beams on either side. The main building backed up to one of the numerous rivers in the country. The pebbled walkway that led to the entrance continued into the genkan where there were several pairs of shoes lined up in a neat row. He frowned inwardly; he had hoped for a relaxing night before they went searching for spiritual portals. Neither of them would be able to sleep with so many strangers around them.

Katya whined to be let down again. To make a point, he jostled her lightly as though he were about to set her down before tightening his grip on her thighs. She sighed exasperatedly before nuzzling her face on the back of his neck. Despite what she thought, he didn't think she was all that heavy. He'd carried far heavier burdens for far longer before. And none of those burdens kissed him or hummed silly songs enroute. Shisui slipped off his shinobi sandals before carefully untying one of his woman's combat boots and gently sliding it off her foot causing her to suppress a hiss.

"Still want me to put you down?" he asked sarcastically.

"Hardy har har. So funny… I think it feels worse than it did before."

"The swelling in your calves has gone down so the nerve is able to function properly," he reasoned. "We'll see if they have a small tub to soak them in."

Katya tied the cords of the boots together before carrying them along with Shisui's sandals in her hands. Even though it was good manners, the majority of shinobi refused to leave their footwear unattended. Walking off with a paper bomb unknowingly placed on one's shoe was a poor and foolish way to go.

It wasn't more than thirty minutes before they settled in the small sitting area in their own casual yukata enjoying tea while Katya soaked her mutilated feet. Small ryokan like this one rarely kicked up a fuss about shinobi quirks such as wearing their own yukata and slippers and carrying their shoes to their room.

"So, are we going to talk about it?" the blonde asked patiently while wiggling her toes in the warm water.

"Hmm? About how beautiful you are?" Shisui winked at her causing her to roll her eyes.

"Ten years later and you're still an incorrigible flirt."

"Mah, you like it though. And yeah, I guess we should," he sighed while he leaned back in the armchair with a groan and stretched his legs forward. He put his hands on the back of his head and looked up at the ceiling. "I don't think it's going to be much of a choice. If this pond is a portal or mirror to the dreamscape dimension then it stands to reason that the kami have access to it."

"True. I don't know that I would be happy to willingly give up what we've already gained… Does that make me some kind of selfish monster?" she said quietly, moving her big toe through the water and creating small ripples. He laced his fingers with hers across the small coffee table.

"I don't think so. Besides, I may have a stronger body, but you've always had the stronger spirit between the two of us." Shisui gave her a kind smile before continuing, "I wouldn't be happy to give any of this up. But… for peace? To save half a million people… I mean it's hard to say no to that."

"Well, if we do get sent back and we're able to remember everything, we'll find each other again." Katya looked at her soulmate hopefully. "I think… it'll be easier on you too, if I'm able to actually pull my own weight…"

"Pull your own...? Sweetheart, you pull your own weight as it is. I don't think you being a shinobi or a civilian makes a difference in how I feel about you." Katya held up a finger to stop him.

"You may not feel that way, love, but the fact of the matter is that you are going to die protecting me. I could never ever live with myself if that happened. Shisui, I need to be able to protect myself. You know that."

"Okay. But I still love you for you. Even if in the next life you're a civilian. Wow. This is really weird."

"Hmm?"

"Talking about our next life. I mean, how many people can honestly say they've had the opportunity?"

"Heh, true. I think you're right, though. It won't be a choice. We either do it or get turned into frogs… or something else equally undesirable." They began to lose track of their conversation as they went on various tangents about what they would be in another life if not human. It was late into the night before they settled down enough to close their eyes.

* * *

After a sleepless night, Katya checked her feet to find that they were mostly healed. She smiled to herself before applying ointment and reaching for the bandages. Before she wrapped her left foot Shisui walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. Katya quickly bit her lower lip and looked away, missing the cocky smirk that was slowly spreading on his face.

"See something you like?" he said casually with his hands on his hips. Katya felt her cheeks begin to burn as she fumbled with the roll of gauze. "You know, it's not like we're on a schedule or anything we could… mmph." His wife threw the roll of gauze at his face before folding her the night yukata she had been wearing.

"We are not having sex with all these strangers on the other side of the walls! Especially after what happened last time!" she whispered crossly.

"Hmm, you are pretty loud," he replied in a flirty tone while running a hand up her shoulder, eliciting a shudder. Shisui then looked down at her feet and quickly dropped his teasing act. He got down on one knee and held the unwrapped foot in his hand before starting to wrap it himself. "They look a lot better. Do they still hurt?"

"No, they feel fine, actually. I want to try and walk today."

"Right, and I'm the Mizukage."

"Shisui…" she started in a warning voice.

"How about a compromise?"

"I'm listening," she said as he finished his work and slipped a sock on her foot. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. How about I carry you to the caves, which is only about fifteen minutes away for me, and you walk through them yourself?"

"Well, aren't you sore from yesterday? Why didn't you turn back, anyway? I thought the point of me training to use chakra was to investigate the caves with you."

"Seriously? These muscles aren't just for show, sweetheart," he winked at her which caused her to roll her eyes. "And I didn't want to turn back because I wanted to be out of the village. I have every confidence that I'm able to protect you better when I can keep you within arm's reach. I can't do that at home. You trained with chakra because I needed a good excuse to give Itachi for taking you along with me."

"Okay."

* * *

True to his word, they arrived at the destroyed caves in less than fifteen minutes. Shisui eased Katya from his back and steadied her with a hand on her waist. Katya looked around at the unassuming rubble around them. Sakura had told her that her specialty was in strength but to destroy an entire cave entrance? An entrance large enough to have this much debris?

"Yup, that's our Sakura-chan," Shisui stated. Katya whistled in response. "This way, love." He began to lead her into a small entrance that was hidden behind brush and weeds that had grown over the wreckage in the last two years.

The cave system was dark. The soot from old torches lined the walls on either side in ten foot [AN: 3m] increments. Shisui started a small fire jutsu and held a flame in his dominant right hand while holding his wife's in the other.

"I hear it… that's spooky," she whispered as they began down the slight decline and made their way through the hallways and interior ledges that comprised the cavernous space.

"Come to see… Who can be free…"

"Stay behind me, Kat, I have a bad feeling."

"Me too…"

"What future is here? … What past can be near?" The voices increased in volume and began to overlap in polyphonic dissonance. Mocking laughter started up from within the round of songs as they reached the dark pool of water deep within the cave.

"I see you have finally deigned to show your faces," a harsh feminine voice resonated from the center of the water. Killing intent and majestic light radiated from a young woman that rose from the pool. Her dark hair billowed around her and her eyes were harsh and unforgiving. "You will kneel. Unlike Haha-ue, I have not a problem with exterminating unruly subjects."

Shisui and Katya complied by getting on their hands and knees. He refused to let go of his wife's hand and attempted to subtly send positive intent through their connection to calm her cowering and shaking form. Sensors never did well in the face of potent killing intent. There wasn't anything else that he could do when they were both at the mercy of an angered kami.

"I am Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and time. You, however, will not address me as such. Especially you, mortal male." Shisui blinked once, then twice in confusion, surely he hadn't heard her single him out. "Males are always the issue in any species. Would there be but another way to procreate I would not have created them. I will open the portal of time as Haha-ue requested. You will both aid in our battle against Amatsu Mikaboshi. You have the free will to choose. But you will not have the freedom to live. Should you refuse I will end your mortal existence and send you to the karmic wheel where you will spend eternity in vain attempts to find your soul's mate."

The killing intent from the goddess increased exponentially and Katya began to choke on the air around her before losing consciousness. The strain to fight against such an invasive feeling was too much for her recovering body. 'To hell with subtlety, we're both going to die if I don't get us out of here,' Shisui thought as he combated the intense aura by surrounding himself and his wife in positive intent. Using all of his strength he tucked his wife's shoulders and head underneath his chest and covered her waist with his arm as he flattened himself against her while remaining on his knees. "Hang on, Kat," he whispered in her ear. His chakra felt sluggish and unresponsive as he attempted to knead it into the correct signs for a shunshin.

"Enough, mortal male!" the goddess spoke into the darkness sending a wave of immeasurable heat and killing intent through the dank cavern. The pressure in the cave ceased as suddenly as it had appeared. "You will speak for your life and that of your wife. What say you to Haha-ue's generosity?"

Shisui looked down at his soulmate's unconscious face in the dark and knew what he would say. Going back into time would change everything. Itachi's conscience could be saved if he could prevent the war. It would put Katya in danger, but they would live. All of them, 500,000 lives could be saved. Or he could let them die… it would be easier. He had wanted to die for a while… before Katya came back to him. They would have to relive an entire lifetime if they went back. The memory of two existences would drive them insane. And if they don't… separated… forever.

"I love you, Kat… let me make the sacrifice this time," he whispered then placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Okami-sama, I humbly request Katya not remember her past life after we come through the other side of time. In exchange, I offer my gift of the kotoamatsukami."

"You dare attempt to barter with me? With something as paltry and gouache as eyesight?"

"Please, I don't want her driven mad with anguish in her new existence by memories of her past life," he pleaded from his prostrate position.

"You presume much, mortal male. She is not so weak that she needs your constant protection from beyond the realm of mortality."

"She is not," Shisui easily agreed. "I don't protect her because I think she is weak, I protect her because she is important and will always be my top priority in any lifetime that we may share."

The goddess stopped, taken aback by this simple statement. Her features softened and the light inside the cave changed from a blazing inferno into the soft yellow of a springtime sunrise. "For your love and your faith in each other, I will seal both of your memories. They will be returned at such a time that the Kotoamatsukami deem appropriate. In exchange for opening this passage, you will suffer pain and torment until you reach the other side. Enter." The back wall of the cave opened from the ground up, the stone parted ominously in a grand maw. It revealed an infinite black space speckled with brilliant stars that shone through the expanse.

"Shisui?" the soft voice whispered from within his protective hold as his wife began to stir.

"Kat, I love you. This is the only way we can be together. And we will, love, we will be together again. I swear." He moved a piece of hair that had escaped its twisted confines to behind her ear before taking her lips into his. He moved his lips against hers with all of the pent up passion that he could, holding her head in his hand while wrapping the other around her waist.

"Enough, mortal. Walk." Shisui gave her another lingering kiss before he moved his hand to the back of her neck and deactivated his protective seal. It was the first and only time he would ever turn his sharingan on his soulmate. He placed her under a peaceful genjutsu so that she would believe they were in their dreamscape, during the peaceful days before Danzo and Amatsu Mikaboshi came into the picture. He couldn't have her suffer the same torment as they walked through the passage. He would take it all for both of them. The man lifted his wife into his arms and began to walk.

* * *

**AN:** Please leave a review (they're encouraging and help fuel this story), I try to reply as soon as I get them. :) If you liked this fic be sure to hit follow to have update alerts!

Posted: 2 May 2020

Updated: 22 May 2020


	16. Best Laid Plans Part 2

Beta'ed by: Boss Babe: **WritersXBlock101** on fanfiction.net AND The fantastic: **cherryberry12**

**Trigger Warning: This chapter will contain sequences of torture, death, suicide attempt as well as simultaneous attempted late-term abortion.**

* * *

_ **Date Unknown, Passage of Time, Shisui Uchiha** _

Shisui walked through the opening in the cave with Katya in his arms. The air around him was so hot that he could almost see the particles in the air vibrate with energy. The feeling of practically being burned alive almost alleviated the crushing guilt that he felt for completely wiping Katya's memories with his mangekyo. Almost. His feet felt like lead as he moved forwards to an unknown destination.

The moment he blinked, his wife was suddenly snatched from his arms by a menacing female deity, Izanami, who now towered over him. He looked on fearfully as the angered kami held his woman by one arm with disdain.

"You made a bargain with a kami and you dared think they not keep it?" she asked. "The cost of walking the passage of time is the torture and pain that one experiences throughout one's lifetime. Every mortal who dares enter this sacred realm must be purified that way. You have robbed your soul's mate of that opportunity. For your insolence, in thinking that you could cheat a kami, you shall be punished." The kami began to walk off with Katya. She grasped the mortal woman by her wrist and dragged the unconscious body through the passage as though she were nothing more than a rag doll.

"No. Please. NO! Kat! KATYA! KATYA!" he screamed as he ran after them. The passage lengthened along with his strides. It did not matter how fast he ran, he never caught up to them. The immersive heat suddenly chilled and became frigid as though he were walking through the Land of Ice in the middle of winter. The sweat on his body rapidly froze and clung to his skin with the change. He shivered uncontrollably as he tried to continue only to find that he couldn't.

"Silly man. You will be okay," a childish voice arose from behind him. "You have angered Izanami-sama. All who walk this passage must be purified."

A blue imp walked in front of Shisui and smiled brazenly, showing three rows of glinting teeth. "I am the soul-stealer. My sister is the torturer." A second, red imp popped up out of smoke that had gathered in the air.

"This one will not do, nii-san. It is already too tainted," the red imp stated disdainfully, its tail swishing through the air. Shisui was allowed to look down at himself to find that he was naked. The marks and scars that he had earned in battle were on full display. "I suppose it will have to do."

The imp snapped her fingers and every injury that the shinobi had ever had suddenly reopened on his skin, causing him to suppress a scream of pain. All of his ribs were broken and felt as though they were crushed. His tibia snapped out of his flesh and his eyes vanished. The red imp held up the set of eyeballs by the trailing connective tissues and banged them together as though they were cymbals. The blue imp laughed in glee.

The blue creature pushed its hand through Shisui's chest before pulling out a glowing blue orb and throwing it through the passage of time. The body the spirit had once resided crumbled as though it were made of clay and dust. The imps celebrated as they hopped along the endless corridor.

* * *

** _23 May 46, The Border of the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire, Dan Kato_ **

The rain had not stopped for even a moment as though the heavens were weeping at the loss of such an honorable man. Dan Kato's spirit hovered over the scene and he felt his eyes burn as he watched his lover scream in agony. 'I'm so sorry, Tsunade. I'm so sorry,' he thought over and over again. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a bush behind his soul shake gently with a softer cry. He tensed, unsure of why his body was still in this mortal plane yet unable to contact his former squad to warn them of the danger.

Dan walked behind the bush to find a small girl, no more than five years old sitting on the ground with her knees to her chest. She had long, straight, blonde hair secured in a disheveled bun. The child sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve and looked up at him. Her eyes were a startling forest green. He knew those eyes. They were his sister's eyes. His mother's eyes… his own.

"Hello, hime-chan. Are you okay?" he asked kindly, crouching to the child's level.

"No. I hurt…"

"Oh, where are you hurt, hime-chan?" he kept his voice soft and his movements gentle so that he didn't startle the lost girl. His heart told him that he knew her. Knew her and knew that she was so important to him. It did not make sense.

"Here." The small girl pointed to her heart and sniffled once more. Dan did not see any visible injury on the child before him.

"How about we find someplace drier, hime-chan? I don't think anyone else can see us. We may be stuck here for some time."

"I was looking for someone, mister… I need to wait for them…"

"Do you know who you were looking for? Where's your mother and father?"

"I don't know…" The girl started wailing. In response, Dan scooped her up in his arms and pressed her securely to his chest. He walked towards the ANBU shelter that was nearby. His platoon would be heading that way with his… body in tow. Even though they appeared to only be spirits on this mortal plane, the child still seemed to be getting wet from the rain.

"Okay, hime-chan. Here we are." When they reached the shelter, he lifted a blanket from the cabinet and wrapped it around her shaking figure. He was briefly amused with the thought of his squad walking into a hovering blanket but shook it off. This was no time to find amusement in such things.

"Thanks, mister." The girl sneezed and he pulled her closer.

Some dormant instinct pushed him to kissing her forehead near her hairline. When he did, he knew. This was the spirit of his child. He and Tsunade had been trying to have one for the past four months, since he turned thirty. He never imagined that he would have died before meeting the child. Much less that he would meet that child's spirit before its birth. Or that the spirit would be so confused. Something had certainly gone wrong.

"What's your name hime-chan?"  
"Katya."

"Okay, Katya-chan. Thank you for telling me." He smiled at her while stroking her hair until she dozed off. '花庭安, peaceful flower garden, huh. That is an unusual name. It suits this little one, though.'

His platoon returned to the ANBU hideout with a shaking and distraught Tsunade. The blonde woman had her hands in front of her. Her mouth was open and her eyes wide as though she still were screaming. One of his teammates tried to coax her to sit down, but she remained standing. Eventually, she collapsed onto the floor in exhaustion. The teammate that had tried to help earlier sighed forlornly before placing her on the same cot that Dan and his child's spirit were sitting. They did not see the spirits.

"Papa…" came a sleepy whisper from the child as she snuggled closer to his chest. 'Apparently her heart knows it too… oh Tsuna… I'm sorry for leaving you... and our child,' he thought. He attempted to caress a strand of Tsunade's hair but his fingers slipped through each time. Dan gave up before he too closed his eyes and drifted off.

The sun rose the next morning, evaporating the drops of rain and dew still left on the tree leaves. Dan found himself cuddled between two females. The elder woman didn't even know he was there and the younger was snoring away contentedly. He squeezed his green eyes shut to block out the 'what ifs' that ran through his mind. What if he hadn't died? Five years from now, this could have been his life. He tried to pull Tsunade closer but found that his arm kept slipping through her body. He moved himself and the sleeping child on his chest closer to her warmth.

"Ne, Tsunade, Katya-chan here is a sweet girl. I wish… that I could have stayed around for both of you. I hope that you won't be too sad. Maybe she can brighten your day… It may be selfish of me, but I'm happy I was able to leave you with a piece of myself. Even if it's just a small piece. I wish our world was different. And I wish I could stay with you. But I can't… The Shinigami will come for me soon. You both have so much to live for… so much. Please, Tsuna, if any part of your soul can hear me, live."

The small spirit curled up on his chest began to stir. She stretched her arms and yawned widely. She drowsily rubbed at the sleep still in her eyes while he put his finger to his lips and made a shushing noise.

"I don't think no one can hear us, mister."

"I'm your father, hime-chan. You can call me papa or tou-chan if you want to." The young spirit nodded and easily accepted this request.

"Oh. Ne, papa? Why can't no one see us?"

"Why can't anyone see us. We're spirits. I believe that something is amiss with yours. This woman that we're next to is your mother. Technically, your spirit should reside in the spirit realm until your birth. I don't know why it is already in this mortal plane, or why you have the appearance or cognizance of a five year old. It could be a by-product of my own jutsu creation, possibly. It could be a Senju trait. I'm not sure."

The little blonde blinked owlishly at him before cocking her head in confusion, "Huh?"

Dan chuckled lightly before patting her on the head, "I'm not sure why no one can see us, hime-chan." The girl humphed and crossed her arms in front of her chest and pouted which reminded him of her mother's reaction to not getting her way. Dan sweatdropped in response.

His former platoon began to stir awake. The kenjutsu master that he worked with attempted to rouse Tsunade to no avail. Dan's former lover stared listlessly at the wall in front of her. The man sighed before walking to the other end of the hideout.

"Oh, Orochimaru-sama! Thank the gods. Tsunade-hime refuses to move."

Dan tried to place a comforting hand on the medic's shoulder before whispering to her. "Love, I know you hurt. I know I hurt you, but for the sake of our child you have to move. The mist-nin may soon be back with reinforcements. You and our squad are in no condition to fight."

"Dan?" she whispered shakily. Orochimaru looked sharply towards the cot that held his friend and the spirits of her lover and child. He narrowed his eyes.

"Tsunade-hime, you must move. If you do not, you will die," the snake summoner knelt beside his life-long teammate. The woman continued to stare listlessly at the wall.

"Orochimaru-san, you must help her!" Dan cried out in frustration.

"If you will not move, then I will carry you. You will be humiliated and shamed in front of the entire village if that happens, hime," Orochimaru tried to goad her into action.

"Orochimaru-sama, we must hurry! The reinforcements could be here any moment," the kenjutsu user said.

"Up you go, Tsunade-hime," Orochimaru grunted while lifting his unresponsive and traumatized friend into his arms. "Spirits should not linger where they do not belong," he said cryptically to the now empty hideout.

"Come on, hime-chan. We're going to follow them to the village," Dan said to his fellow spirit.

"What village, papa?" she questioned as he settled the child on his hip before bounding into the treeline.

"Konoha, sweetheart. Our home. No matter where this life takes you, remember this: Konoha will always be home to those with the Will of Fire."

"What's a will of fire?"

"That we should always love, cherish and protect our village as others have before us."

"Why?"

Dan chuckled again, of course his child would be precocious and curious. "Don't worry about it so much for now, musume."

"Okay. But why fire? Shouldn't it be the will of shinobi? 'Cause that's what we are, right? We're not fire. That makes no senses." The adult spirit stopped on a tree branch, doubled over with laughter. The small blonde on his hip scrunched her nose and began to pout. "Oi, it's true. People can't be fire! They'd burn up!" Katya began waving her arms widely to emphasize her point.

"You're very right, hime-chan," he agreed good-naturedly when he was able to breath again. He patted the young girl on the head before continuing their travels.

* * *

Seven months. Seven months of watching his lover grieve over him while her belly became round with his child. Seven months of fathering his child's spirit was a tease. It was not enough. He wanted to stay. He didn't want to be dead. He didn't want Tsunade to be in such pain. She wasn't eating. She never slept, spending her days and nights staring at the wall in front of her. It was a miracle that the little angel that tailed his every movement hadn't been miscarried.

There was an endless amount of friends and very distant relations that came to visit the grieving woman at first. But the list slowly dwindled as time went on and people realized that Tsunade's depression was there to stay. There were only three people who still visited her regularly: Orochimaru, Sakumo Hatake and Kushina Uzumaki.

Dan knew that Orochimaru saw Tsunade and Jiraiya as the family he never had. Sakumo Hatake had always been in the sannins' corner. He was their senpai and very involved with training his kouhai. Sweet little Kushina had certainly grown up in the last few months. Dan had never suspected that his death would affect the Uzumaki. Apparently, having her elder sister figure prostrate with grief aged her. She changed from a rambunctious and irresponsible sixteen year old girl to a mature and capable seventeen year old.

If Tsunade did not come out of this well of depression by the time Katya-chan was born, at least there would be somebody to take care of their child. He had been very surprised that Hokage-sama had not visited after the first month. Dan supposed that he was busy running the village, but still, could he not see his former student's pain? Was the man that oblivious? The thought of their Hokage's callousness made Dan burn with uncharacteristic anger.

"Papa?" came the quiet voice from where he was sitting. He had been watching Tsunade stare at the wall again from a chair in the corner of their bedroom.

"What's that love-bug?" he smiled at his little girl causing her to beam back at him.

"There's a water snake in the pond! And they talk! They talked!" she said excitedly, pulling his hand towards the engawa. "Come look, papa! The snakey talk!"

Dan smiled, grateful that Orochimaru was keeping constant watch to prevent Tsunade from doing something permanently damaging. He let himself be pulled along towards the pond and crouched down beside the little blonde girl as she pointed at the striped reptile swimming lazily along the water's surface.

"I know you are there, ssspirit," it said testily. "Dispersse. You causse much sssorrow with your unnatural lingering."

"See?! I told you the snakey talked!"

"I believed you, hime-chan. Why don't you go sit with your mother for a moment, hmm?" He gently pushed the child towards the open sliding door and watched as she walked through. Her hair bounced and tried to escape from its confines. It made him smile to himself. Most mornings it was their habit to fix her hair together.

"How do you know that I am trapped in the mortal plane, summons-san?" The snake cocked its head in response and blinked, lowering its first set of eyelids before opening them again.

"I sssee all in shadows. 'Tisss a ssnake's lot in life. I can read your lipss. But I cannot hear you."

"I understand. I am Dan Kato, former elite jounin of Konohagakure. I am trapped here in between the mortal and spiritual plane, as is the child. The child's name is Katya. She is mine and Tsunade's. I assume that she will enter her body at the moment of birth."

Tsunade moaned from her bed as pain shot through her body and her abdomen tensed. Her cries brought Dan running to the room.

"Mama wet the bed, papa!" Katya said loudly, pointing at the broken waters.

"So she did. Summons-san, can you get help please?" The snake bobbed its head before slithering away. The heavily pregnant woman screamed again after the summons left for its master.

"No! You will not arrive! I don't want you…" Tsunade grunted, her greasy hair stuck to her forehead, "to remind me of them! I will not live with this!" She screamed at her clenching abdomen as she moved herself into a seated position. In a fit of madness, she formed a chakra scalpel in her hand and pointed it towards her womb. Katya's spirit began to shriek in terror at the scene.

"Tsuna, NO!" Dan cried as he put all his energy into stopping her hand. Miraculously, he was able to reach out and physically stop her. When he did, their spirits connected and she was able to see him, one last time.

* * *

** _10 January 47, Konoha, Tsunade_ **

"Dan?" Tsunade asked quietly as her lover's spirit stood before her in her mind's eye.

"Tsunade. I've caused you a lot of pain. I'm sorry. Please don't join me in the afterlife so soon."

"How can I stay here while you're gone? How can I keep on living when everyone I become close to dies?"

"Not everyone, Tsunade." Dan placed his hand gently on her swollen abdomen and pressed his forehead against hers. "I have seen everything that has happened in the past seven months. You have people who love you, Tsunade. If you leave now, if you do this, then you will pass the pain on to them. Orochimaru-san has been leaving a summons at the Senju compound every day. Sakumo-senpai comes to visit you daily with little Kakashi-kun if he's in the village. And Kushina-chan has grown up so much in the past few months just taking care of everything. Please, Tsunade lean on the living and not the ghosts."

"I can't. I can't. Please don't make me." The blonde sobbing as she grabbed the front of the spirit's flak jacket.

"You can. You must. You are one of the strongest people I have ever known. It's okay to ask help from others, love. Little Katya-chan is going to need you healthy."

"I can't raise this child, Dan. I will fail her. Just being around me will kill her. I am poisonous to everyone I have ever loved."

"You're not poison, Tsunade. If… if you don't feel that you are safe, then ask for help. Please, love. Do not follow me. My time is running out. I love you." The dead shinobi kissed her forehead before disappearing completely from Tsunade's mindscape.

* * *

"Papa?" a small spirit's voice went unheard from the corner of the room.

The sliding door opened to reveal Orochimaru. "Tsunade-hime, my summons stated you are in labor," the snake-sannin said matter-of-factly.

"Aa." The laboring woman groaned while the wooden post she had been holding onto turned into dust in her hand. "Just kill me, 'Rochi."

"No." He crossed his arms in front of his chest and lifted an eyebrow. "Do you wish to birth here or at the hospital?"

"Here. No one can…" Tsunade suppressed a scream. "...see me like this. I don't want… Dan's child to be kidnapped by that Shimura character moments after she is born…" she said between pants.

"He is not all that bad. In the shinobi lifestyle, we cannot claim superior moral high ground," Orochimaru rasped.

"No. I would rather she be taken… by the Mizu… kage than that rat." The medic was vehement.

"Are you positive you do not require a real medic's assistance? I have limited knowledge of childbirth." He scrunched his nose slightly in distaste upon realizing that he would be playing the role of midwife that evening.

"You will do. Check if the head is crowning…" Tsunade said with a pained gasp as she leaned over the footboard of the bed in a squat.

"This is, by far, the most disgusting thing you have ever asked me to do," the normally composed man stated, but he complied all the same. "You are not crowning as of yet. I would estimate nine centimeters." He pulled his hand away in disgust and went to wash in the adjoining bathroom.

"'Rochi, you… work on… cadavers all… fucking day. Get over it."

"Yes, but they do not talk back nor do they breathe. And I certainly do not bother with genitalia regularly."

"Ngh." Tsunade screamed again causing her teammate to inwardly wince. Kushina heard the screaming and ran into the room, dropping the groceries that she had been carrying.

"Nee-chan!" The red-head looked shocked to see that her elder sister figure was in labor.

"Oh joy, more company." Tsunade groaned.

"Do you know anything about birthing, Kushina-chan?" Orochimaru asked.

"Uhm, a little, I guess?"

"Excellent. I will procure... diapers," he gratefully left the room, shutting the engawa door behind him.

"Kushina… I am about to give birth. I can feel the baby crowning now." Tsunade looked at the young woman seriously.

The seventeen-year-old gulped and returned the woman's look with an uneasy one of her own. "Okay, no problem. We got this, dattebane!"

In the spiritual plane of this world, away from the notice of the jinchuuriki and the child's mother: the moment that the child was born, its soul was unceremoniously stolen by Amatsu-Mikaboshi. The childish soul in the corner of the room screamed as she was sucked into the void of the baby's body and continued to scream until she lost consciousness.

"She's not breathing! Nee-chan! She's not...! Do something!" The red-head said frantically while starting infant CPR. The blonde hesitated. This would be an easy way for the child to go, rather than face the hardships of the shinobi world. Tsunade's brain kicked in and began to shame herself for those thoughts before taking the infant from the teenager and clearing its throat and lungs. The baby began to cry as it took its first breath in a new world.

"Kushina, take her, please. Her name is Katya Senju," the medic said as she began to heal her own small tears. She signed the blank birth certificate that Sakumo had previously brought to the Senju compound. She handed it to the teenager to sign as a witness before finally resting.

* * *

**AN:** Thank you so much for reading! One good tern deserves another. ㄟ( ･ө･ )ㄏ Please leave a review, I try to reply as soon as I get them. :) If you liked this fic be sure to hit follow to have update alerts!

Sorry for the attempted late-term abortion/simultaneous suicide; I thought it was important to show her state of mind going forward. Just remember, this is the Tsunade before Naruto's Therapy-no-Jutsu. This is also a Tsunade who lost the love of her life recently.

For the kanji name I used a kanji generator; the name actually is Croatian (Katja, катја) in origin in this fic and means pure one.

Musume means daughter in Japanese.

We'll be aging Dan and Tsunade up by about three years here, so he dies at age 30 instead of 27.

Shizune and Kakashi would be around 6; Kushina is 17.

Sakumo is roughly 36 right now in this fic (the anime and manga are very vague).

Fun fact: Shisui was born in October! :)

**On Depression:**

Severe depression is no joke. It definitely drives people to do things that they otherwise would not think about. Get help and reach out as soon as possible! If you are experiencing any sign of mental illness contact your healthcare provider, therapist, priest, other clergy or counselor.

**Some emergency contact numbers:**

US Suicide hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Canada Suicide hotline: 1-833-456-4566

UK Suicide hotline: +44 (0) 8457 90 90 90

Austrailia Suicide Hotline: 13 11 14

Online chat: suicidepreventionlifeline .org there's a chat option in the top-right corner of the page.

Posted: 8 May 2020

Updated: 24 May 2020


	17. All Love is Madness

Ch 17 Beta'ed by: **cherryberry12**

* * *

_ **17 March 47, Konoha, Tsunade** _

Tsunade lay in her bed staring at the wall while the room echoed with feeble cries from a hungry baby. It had been nine months and twenty-five days since Dan had died. Two-hundred and ninety-eight days total. The clock moved slowly. It felt like every second was a lifetime as the hands continued to rotate.

Her bed was the safest place, for both of them. She kept imagining horrible things happening to the infant. She imagined it rolling off the engawa into the koi pond. Perhaps the baby would ingest poison or find a stray kunai. The worst of her imaginings were from her own hand. Self-loathing had taken up residence in the Senju compound right alongside grief and depression. In her darkest daydreams she thought about taking her own life and that of little Katya.

The medic heard someone enter the bedroom from behind her and recognized Kushina's chakra signature.

"There, there sweet thing," the younger woman cooed, lifting the baby from her cradle. "Tsuna-nee, you have to get up. You haven't left that bed in a week. Have you been feeding Kit-Kat when she's hungry?"

"No. I can't move. It hurts. Everything just hurts," she whispered to the wall. A new signature entered the compound and Kushina moved towards it with the baby.

"Sakumo-san, I don't know what else to do. She won't move. I'm worried about Katya-tan when I'm not there."

"You were planning on moving in with Minato-kun, right?"

"Well, yeah. But I can't possibly leave the compound now! Not with how Tsunade is acting! It's not safe, dattebane."

"I'll talk to her. You go ahead and take care of Kit-Kat, Kushina-chan," the gray-haired man responded as he walked into the building and pulled a chair next to Tsunade. He took her hand into his and held it gently before speaking, "Tsunade, you have to get up. Do not let this defeat you. I will take in Katya-tan until you can take care of her yourself. But you must move. Leave this compound. Leave this village. Do what you must to put these memories in the past. You cannot let your depression win."

"You'll take care of Dan's child?" she whispered, her voice rough with disuse.

"She's your child too. I see you struggling, kouhai. I think it would be best for everyone."

"I don't want Shimura to take her."

"He won't. I swear it. If you sign this, then it gives the Hatake clan exclusive custody. Because our clan was a vassal clan of the Senju, it gives you the right to exclude any others so long as Kakashi and I are both living."

"Okay… I can't take care of her, senpai… I can't even stand looking at her eyes. They're his…"

"It's okay to grieve, Tsunade. It's okay to be depressed. Dan was your soulmate. It's going to hurt for years. But you have to go on living. He wouldn't want you to die inside and live as a zombie."

"I'll start later… I just want to sleep for now… Please, senpai, take care of her. Take care of her for Dan."

Sakumo squeezed her hand, "I'll take care of her for her. I'll have Kushina-chan or Minato-kun babysit when I'm out of the village. Please, visit her, Tsunade. She will need you in her life. She will need a mother."

He got up from the chair and began to pack the baby's supplies into a storage scroll before picking her up from Kushina and walking back to the Hatake compound. Kakashi was waiting for them at the entrance with his arms over his chest. He had just spent the day pulling weeds with Minato as part of his genin apprenticeship and was irritated to have forgotten his house key.

"Did you steal Kit-Kat?" the six-year-old drawled.

"What? No! Ah, Tsunade-hime is going to go out of town for a while. We'll be taking care of Kit-Kat for now."

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders in response as his father juggled the infant and unlocked the compound doors. Sakumo had no idea how this would work out; he barely managed with Kakashi and only was able to pull it off because Kakashi was a genius. The Hatake patriarch resolved to go to Dan Kato's grave and pray for his help. He supposed he should also visit the Shodaime's memorial. As Katya Senju's great-grandfather, he should be able to hear his pleas on her behalf, right? It wouldn't hurt in any case. He would definitely be adding her to his nightly prayers to the great wolf, Horku Kamuy.

* * *

_ **10 October 47, Konoha, Kakashi** _

Kakashi glared at the nine-month old baby before him. He had just lectured her on the virtues of vegetables and even went so far as to heat up the pureed spinach he served her. In return, after screaming 'cookie, nii' at him, the infant decided to throw the green bowl of mush at his face with unerring accuracy. Said infant was now giggling uncontrollably at her brother as the goo ran down his mask.

"Ucky, nii! Ucky, nii!" the infant chimed while clapping like a deranged seal. The seven year old felt his eyebrow tick in annoyance.

"No, Kit-Kat. That was bad," he said haughtily while whipping his face with a nearby hand towel.

"Nii-tan mad?" Katya asked innocently, her bottom lip quivering as though on the verge of tears.

"No, no! Nii-tan is happy! See! Happy! So happy!" Kakashi said emphatically, pulling his mask down to show a blinding smile. The baby still quivered her lip and looked up at the older boy. "Oh kami, please don't cry, Kit-Kat. Tou-chan's going to be home soon! Nii-tan is happy! Here, have a cookie!" He handed over two oatmeal cookies and placed them on the high chair tray. The baby rewarded him with a coo and a gummy smile.

"She sure has you trained well, Kakashi-kun," Sakumo said kindly while leaning in the kitchen entryway. "I'd almost be worried about you falling for the manipulation tactics of a baby."

"Ne, tou-chan, she's too smart for her own good."

"She's only nine-months old," the older man said. He smiled at Katya before patting her head and lifting her up to his hip. "How is our little Kit-Kat today?"

"Ji! Ji!" the blonde whooped while holding onto his long ponytail for balance. The older man nuzzled the side of the baby's face and neck with his nose before planting a kiss on her temple. He then ruffled Kakashi's hair and attempted to pull the genin in for a side-hug before the boy huffed and resisted.

* * *

_ **1 January 48, Konoha, Orochimaru** _

Orochimaru felt very out of place as he attended the New Years Eve Festival. Sakumo-senpai had welcomed him to visit Katya whenever he had a rare moment away from the Research and Development department. Ostensibly, it was because Orochimaru was one of the closest things to family that a certain blonde had left in the village. After all, in Konoha a genin team was family.

For this occasion, Konoha's brightest scientific mind had spent his invaluable time delicately folding and refolding brightly colored washi paper into the shape of a lucky crane for his de-facto niece. He was not worried about the toddler swallowing the coins that were placed inside. She was only eleven-months old and yet was smarter than the average five year old. The amount of material that Katya was able to absorb in short periods of time fascinated the snake sannin. He was half-convinced that she was already able to read.

The blonde toddler was at the other end of the road near the goldfish stalls. She held onto an Irish Wolfhound's fur for balance while leaning over to look into the tank curiously. Orochimaru noticed that a small Uchiha toddler with unruly hair was standing nearby with Kagami Uchiha. The boy stared at Katya curiously with his head cocked to the side.

Orochimaru walked up to the toddler before scooping her onto his hip. She blinked in surprise before she began to pout. The snake sannin smiled to himself when he realized that she was pouting because he ruined her observations. She would make a very fine scientific mind someday.

"Down, 'roji-ji!" she said, pointing towards the ground and kicking a foot for emphasis.

"No. Good evening and Happy New Year, Kagami-sama, Uchiha-chan." Orochimaru tilted his head respectfully in Kagami's direction. "Katya-tan, is there something you'd like to say? We must be polite." Katya muttered and shyly buried her face in the snake sannin's winter yukata.

"Good evening, Orochimaru-dono."

"Come now, Katya-tan, you must say good evening." He attempted to pry the small girl away from his shoulder but quickly gave up and nodded his head once more. Kagami smiled back in understanding before he herded his own small charge to another stall.

"Tsk, you must learn to be more social. How will you ever learn to be a kunoichi if you find it too difficult to talk to others?"

"Well, isn't that just the pot calling the kettle black, kouhai," Sakumo said as he walked up to the pair with a reluctant Kakashi in tow.

"Perhaps," he acquiesced. Orochimaru handed the two children the paper cranes and received a reserved 'thank you' from Kakashi and an enthusiastic chirp from Katya. He set the small girl down next to the nanny dog and straightened her winter yukata over the fleece leggings that she was wearing underneath.

"'Roshi-ji have to work?" she asked sadly.

"Yes, Katya-chan. We must always seek to advance our knowledge to advance the village. Happy New Year, Kakashi-kun, Katya-chan."

"Otay, Happy New Year. Kiss?" Orochimaru sighed before picking her up again and giving her a small peck near her hairline then set her down.

"Happy New Year, Orochimaru-sama," Kakashi stated respectfully, bowing slightly.

"Happy New Year, Orochimaru-san," Sakumo said kindly before escorting the two children and dog towards a taiyaki stand.

The scientist chuckled to himself at how easily his niece sold out for sweets. He glanced behind him towards the bustle of the festival before heading towards the ANBU headquarters. As he expected: the blonde toddler's face was covered in chocolate filling. Nobody dared comment on the small smile he had the rest of the day.

* * *

_ **19 October 48, Konoha, Kagami Uchiha** _

It was a crisp autumn day in Konoha. Kagami adjusted his haori before helping his grandson put on his shoes. The little boy gave him a toothy grin before happily skipping out of the Uchiha compound with his hand in the older man's. It was rare that Shisui was allowed these moments. The grandfather lamented the fact that his son disparaged anyone who was not an Uchiha. In fact, it seemed that the younger man even extended his general dislike towards Uchiha women as well. It was not how he had raised his son. Kagami sincerely hoped that little Shisui would turn out better.

They arrived at the playground around noon. The birthday boy was munching on a stick of dango that they had stopped to buy at the main market. There were few children in the park and a great many of them were civilians. However, the Hatake boy and the little Senju were near the swingset. If anything, it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce Shisui to one of his future classmates. He prodded his young charge in the direction of the two before the little boy quirked an eyebrow in his direction.

"Ne, jii-jii, why we play on swings?" the two year old asked before throwing the dango stick into a trash can with perfect aim.

"Why not, Shisui-chan?"

"Well, papa don't like me playing on swings… or with outsiders."

"Ah, well these two kids are going to be Konoha shinobi someday. In fact, the tall boy with the gray hair is a genin."

"Really?" Little Shisui looked at the eight year old Hatake with stars in his eyes. He toddled over to the pair before waving hello. The little blonde girl that accompanied the genin and an Irish Wolfhound ducked her head shyly and backed up slightly towards the large dog. Seeing his sister's discomfort, the older boy stepped in front of her, directly blocking the young Uchiha's view.

"Um. Hi. Name's Shisui!" the little boy chirped, undeterred by the elder's scowl.

"Kakashi Hatake. This is Katya," Kakashi stated blandly.

"Wanna play together?" Shisui gave a huge grin towards the pair.

"No."

"Why are you so mean? You're a mean boy!" the toddler said emphatically.

"So?"

"Nii-tan, we can play…" came a quiet whisper from the side of the dog. The brunette grinned widely before reaching around the older boy and dragging the other toddler towards the sandbox.

"Oi! You can't just drag her around!" Kakashi yelled. In his enthusiasm to make his first non-clan friend, Shisui pulled Katya's arm so hard that her legs came out from under her. Her whole body ended up dragging on the ground by the time Shisui dared to glance behind him.

"Oopsie…" the brunette said, releasing the wrist in his hold. The blonde girl gave him a soft smile before she started to stand up. Shisui gave her a sheepish grin before rubbing the back of his head. He helped the other toddler stand up but they both fell to the ground. The nanny dog that was accompanying the girl gave an amused huff before he nudged the children to their feet.

"'S okay. I'll still be your fwend. Wanna play shurigen? 'Roshi-oji made me the awesomest paper shurigens." The little girl produced several beautifully colored shuriken from her pocket before handing a couple to her new friend. Kakashi huffed before walking over to a nearby bench and pulling out a book. They spent the rest of the day at the park. On the walk home, Kagami asked the boy if it was a great birthday to which he drowsily replied that it was the greatest ever.

* * *

** _10 January 49, Konoha, Kushina_ **

The Konoha bakery was busy when Kushina went to pick up two birthday cakes for her favorite toddler in the village. The little girl loved chocolate more than the jinchuriki loved ramen. Minato had been tasked with picking up the party decorations with Kakashi. It would be a small party. The list included Kakashi, Kagami Uchiha, chibi-Shisui, Minato and herself. Kushina had hoped that Orochimaru would celebrate with them, but he was far too busy with ROOT and the R&D department. Sakumo had been out of town on a top-secret mission for almost two weeks. It was a normal occurrence for him, but she had a terrible feeling about it.

With two cakes decorated with pink foxes, Kushina walked back towards the Hatake compound. Minato and Kakashi had been hard at work setting up pink and green streamers. She smiled when she saw the sheer amount of glitter that was decorating the usually cold and formal dining room. The small end table that held seasonal flowers now contained a small present wrapped with duct tape and pug-patterned wrapping paper. It appeared that Kakashi had bought the porcelain doll they had seen, after all.

Minato walked in the house and kissed his girlfriend gently after slipping a hand on her waist. "What'd you think?" he asked.

"Where'd you put our present?"

"Oh, got it right here." He pulled out a leather bracelet that had a hiraishin seal tooled on to the soft material.

"That's not the one I ordered, dattebane! This one is black! No little girl wants a black bracelet. Where's the pink one, with the beads on it?"

The blond rubbed the back of his head then held up his hands. "Well, love, I thought that this might be more practical… I mean, the other one was very reflective."

"It's BLACK! She's a two year old girl!"

"No, she's a kunoichi-in-training, Kushina-san," Kakashi stated as he walked into the room. "Tou-san already started her training six months ago. Orochimaru-sama helps in his spare moments."

"WHAT?! SHE IS BARELY TWO!" Her red hair seemed to lift itself into nine tails as her face contorted with outrage.

"Mah, mah. What's going on here?" came a tired voice from the engawa. Sakumo stood quietly, looking in on the scene before him. He looked more worn and haggard than he ever had before.

"Nothing, Sakumo-senpai. Just a small disagreement." Minato smiled at the Hatake patriarch while the other man nodded slowly. "You don't have to celebrate, senpai. Kit-Kat is a smart girl, she'll understand if you rest."

"What a polite way of saying I look like something the dog dragged in," Sakumo stated wryly. He shook his head and rubbed a hand over his eyes before walking to his bedroom and shutting the door. It wasn't long after that when Kagami Uchiha appeared with Shisui. Kushina's shadow clone returned shortly with the birthday girl.

"Happy Birthday!" Everyone yelled in unison. The shy girl grabbed Kushina's hand and leaned into her warm body while smiling at the gathered family and friends.

"Thank you." Katya bowed her head in thanks. Her smile brightened when she saw Shisui. He grinned back and held up a small bouquet of field dandelions.

* * *

** _1 June 49, Konoha, Shisui_ **

It had been six months since Shisui had last seen his non-clan friend at her second birthday party. At first he wondered why he wasn't allowed to see her, but then he heard his father talking about the "Hatake traitor" or "War-monger Fang". The perceptive little boy knew that Katya-chan was somehow related to the infamous White Fang.

Today, the two year old was accompanying his mother to the Konoha market. He didn't understand why, but she was limping and her ankle was wrapped tightly in bandages. He knew that she was even carrying extra makeup in her handbag. It struck him as odd. Even though his mother was a civilian, his father liked to spar with her in the house. She always made Shisui leave when that happened.

He saw a flash of pale blonde around the corner. Katya was being quickly tugged through the market by her brother while holding on to a shopping bag. The villagers were giving them dirty looks as the two rushed past. Suddenly, the bag broke, spilling eggplant, dry noodles and onions. The masses looked away and began whispering about 'no-good Hatakes and the decline of the Senju clan'. His sensitive friend's eyes were welling with tears as she stooped to pick up the spilled contents.

"Katya-chan?" the brunet asked gently as he began to help her. When they were finished he hugged her tightly. "It's okay, Kat. Please don't cry."

"Shisui?" he heard his mother's voice. She quickly pulled him away from the girl. "Do not spend any more time with that Senju," she spat as they walked away.

"Why? Katya-chan is nice."

"She's a Senju. And she is a ward of the White Fang. He is a disgrace. Your father will be terribly upset if he were to find out." Shisui's mother pulled him to the side before crouching down to his level. "Shisui, my love, do not let your father find out. Please. It's important."

"Okay, kaa-chan." He spared a look behind him at his friend's retreating form. He didn't want to stay away. His heart was telling him that she was important.

* * *

** _15 September 49, Konoha, Kakashi_ **

Rain poured in relentless sheets and turned into steam as it hit the clay roof tiles and streets outside. Kakashi ran through the advanced kata that Minato-sensei had taught him. He began to speed up and tripped over a stuffed doll that had fallen from the ceiling. Growling in irritation, he picked up the offending object and walked to Katya's room. It was apparent to him that Kushina had given the girl sticky tags. It was also evident that she was practicing walking on walls already.

Kakashi slammed open the bedroom door covered in glittery foam flowers before throwing the rag doll at the small blonde. "Keep your toys out of the dojo!" he yelled.

His little sister blinked owlishly at him before answering with a petulant, "No." She turned back to her tea-party and began to pour fragrant jasmine tea for the assembled crowd of dolls.

"You shouldn't be wasting your time with dolls. It's ridiculous. Shinobi rule number fifty-three: A shinobi must always train for combat."

"Nobody cares about your stupid rules, nii-tan."

"Oh yeah? We're about to go to war with Iwa because Father didn't put the mission first. The rules say a shinobi must put the mission first! The rules are rules for a reason. Shinobi who follow the rules bring honor to their clan name. Those who don't are scum… like Father."

"The rules are stupid. We're humans, not machines. Oji-chan is not scum," she replied quietly, looking towards the tea set. She huffed before pouring the genin a small cup. "Happy birthday, nii-tan."

"Thanks," he said resignedly. Neither child heard the retreating adult footsteps in the hallway.

"Why aren't we the same clan? You're my brother."

"You're from the Senju clan. The Hatake clan were their vassals before Konoha was founded. I'm not your biological brother, imouto. I'm your blood brother."

"How?"

"Ah, don't worry about it for now, Kit-Kat." Kakashi gave her a tight smile before ruffling her hair and returning to the dojo.

* * *

** _1 December 49, Konoha, Katya_ **

The entryway to their home opened and Katya looked up into her brother's shocked eyes.

"Oji-chan has an owie… he's not waking up…"

White chrysanthemums sprouted from every wooden surface in the room.

* * *

**AN:** Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a review, I try to reply as soon as I get them. :) If you liked this fic be sure to hit follow to have update alerts!

White chrysanthemums mean grief in flower language.

It's my understanding that in Japanese Kit-Kat translates loosely to never fail and is a common good luck charm, so in essence they're calling her Lucky Charm

Horku Kamuy is the wolf kami, btw.

Keep in mind that ROOT is still a legit organization at this time.

Also if you want to see more of Sakumo's Irish Wolf-Hound, then check out Ch. 27 of Anchor Me by WritersXBlock101 on ffn. He's the same puppy; we agree on that head-canon. She named her version Kenta. Mine's unnamed, for now. :)

**On Depression:**

Severe depression is no joke. It definitely drives people to do things that they otherwise would not think about. Get help and reach out as soon as possible! If you are experiencing any sign of mental illness contact your healthcare provider, therapist, priest, other clergy or counselor.

**Some emergency contact numbers:**

US Suicide hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Canada Suicide hotline: 1-833-456-4566

UK Suicide hotline: +44 (0) 8457 90 90 90

Austrailia Suicide Hotline: 13 11 14

Online chat: suicidepreventionlifeline .org there's a chat option in the top-right corner of the page.

Posted: 15 May 2020

Updated: 27 May 2020


	18. The Funeral

Chapter 18 Beta'ed by: **CherryBerry12; **who might I just say is absolutely amazing to stick with this project! Her skills blow me out of the water and I am flabbergasted everyday she works on this with me. :)

* * *

_ **1 December 49, Hatake Compound, Minato** _

The gray skyline met the top of the clay tiles of the Hatake compound when Minato arrived. The walkway was littered with the skeletal remains of dead leaves. Frozen water droplets hung from every available surface, remains of the previous night's rain. He was met with silence when he opened the gate to the genkan and removed his shoes. When he felt the distressed pulsing of Katya's chakra beat against the hiraishin seal he thought nothing of it. She was an extremely sensitive sensor. He had been teaching the little girl how to block out the excess chakra signals for the past few months.

The jounin was under the impression that it was the wavering chakra signals from the hospital that had upset her. Konoha was at war and recovering from a major battle that had taken place three days ago. Any three year old would be distraught upon feeling the flickering signals coming from that building, even though it was unlikely they completely understood what they meant. In the last three hours, over one hundred signals had been extinguished. Even at the age of twenty, he was having difficulty tuning it out. It was likely that she had only felt the difference when Orochimaru brought her home from her weekly visit, since the snake sannin's own signature tended to block out everything else. Even though Kakashi should have arrived home by now, Minato wanted to check with them.

"Kakashi-kun? Kit-Kat?" the blond called out. He heard ragged breaths in the adjacent room and swiftly opened the sliding door to the entryway. Kakashi was standing stock-still staring at the blood soaked tatami mats underneath his father's body. White chrysanthemums bloomed between the seams of the mats and along the wooden frames of the walls. Parts of the wooden frames from the paper doors floated towards the ceiling like forlorn vines.

"Kakashi-kun?" Minato placed a gentle hand on the young boy's shoulder after quietly closing the door.

"He's just gone… he left me…"

"Kakashi-kun, I need you to listen. I'm going to remove these flowers and tack the wood back down. Kakashi, go to your room and pack some clothes for yourself and Katya-chan. Can you do that?"

"He's… gone?"

Minato dropped down on one knee and turned the boy to face him. "Kakashi-kun, I need you to focus. Go pack some clothes. I need to take care of everything here." Kakashi shook his head and walked through the hallway towards the bedrooms in a daze.

The jounin turned to face the other child who was currently kneeling in her guardian's blood. Her small hand was on Sakumo's shoulder. With a sigh, he began to strip the room of flowers and hid them in a storage scroll. He pulled Katya up and held her closely, avoiding her blood-stained knees, and walked towards the bathroom. After running some warm water, he took a washcloth and began to gently remove the mess.

"Ne, Katya-chan, it's going to be okay. You still have Kushina and Kakashi and I. It's going to be okay, lovely."

"He didn't wake up…" the little girl sniffled. "He's dead."

"Yeah, he is." Minato spoke to the three year old in soft tones as he listened to Kakashi's movements on the other side of the wall. "How long have you been able to control flowers, Kit-Kat?"

"Dunno…" The jonin gave a slight nod before scooping up the small girl and walking to Kakashi's room. After ensuring that both children were packed he led them to his apartment. The smells of Kushina's cooking wafted through the hallway as the small group entered. The two children settled listlessly on the couch as Minato rushed through the village to notify the Hokage.

* * *

_ **2 am, 2 December 49, Hokage Office, Orochimaru** _

The hallway to the Hokage's office was quiet in the early morning hours. The inner chambers, however, were not as four men argued over the future of one child.

"This child has the best potential in ROOT, you must see it, Hiruzen! To not take advantage of the mokuton is foolish," Danzo stated.

* * *

"_Promise me. Promise me that you will not let Danzo take Dan's child, Orochimaru."_

* * *

"You don't even know if Katya-chan has the mokuton, Danzo. It is highly possible that this was a one time event," the Sandaime argued.

* * *

"_Ne, Rochi-oji, why don't they just put them in order?"_

"_What order would you have them, Katya-chan?"_

"_Well, by the amount of energy each one has and the amount of weight… no that's not right… mass! Mass, arrange it by energy and mass." Katya was right and he had not thought of such an arrangement before for the elements. He found it spectacular that the child could come to such conclusions._

'_Promise me…'_

* * *

"Konoha cannot afford to miss such an opportunity," the other man asserted. Kagami Uchiha sighed and rubbed his forehead. Of course his teammate would see the girl as just another pawn on the board. "She has the mokuton and everyone in this room knows it! This hasn't been seen since the Shodaime. She must be trained now."

"Katya-chan will be a kunoichi, eventually, Danzo. There is no need to rush her training," Kagami reasoned.

"Are you daft, or just blind? We are at war now. The future remains unseen. We cannot hide a potential ace up our sleeves."

"Woah, relax, Danzo. I'm not your enemy. It is possible that the Uchiha clan could take over her training. Our library seems to indicate that before Hashirama there was another Senju some three hundred years prior that also had the mokuton."

"Of course you would want to take her into your clan," Danzo snarled. Kagami shook his head. It did not matter how long they had been teammates, Danzo would never get over Izumo choosing him and their clan over Danzo.

* * *

'_Promise me…'_

"_Have you been practicing the proper forms we discussed?"_

"_Ah, Roshi-oji, I made a friend! We played wid da shurigens togeder."_

"_Katya-tan, I created those so you could practice proper form," Orochimaru chastised her._

"_He was weally nice too…" Katya gave a small smile as she twirled around his laboratory in a music-less dance._

* * *

Orochimaru was shaken from his memories when he began to imagine a different young girl. One with the same blonde hair but dead green eyes. A blank face for a perfect soldier. Any trace of 'Kit-Kat' lost into the mask. The thought did not sit well. Her budding brilliance would be quashed. The spark in her eyes as she observed the world around them, extinguished. All of the research that she could conduct suddenly began to vanish into an alternate future where she served as a mindless member of ROOT.

"This conversation is pointless. The Hatake Clan still holds custody of Katya Senju under the original charter for this village," Orochimaru finally rasped.

"You can't possibly deny this potential!" Danzo spat. The leader of ROOT was clearly outraged that Orochimaru was going against his wishes for the first time since their partnership began.

"Katya Senju finds the idea of killing abhorrent -"

"That does not matter! She is going to be a kunoichi!"

Orochimaru raised his hand to silence the old man, "I was not finished. She will be an excellent kunoichi for the defense of this village. However, her psyche would not withstand the lifestyle of a ROOT shinobi. You would be wasting a potential resource. Her talent and potential comes from her scientific mind. She will do best in Research and Development or on the barrier team when she comes of age. Katya will do best on a regular genin team when the time comes."

"That is ridi-"

"Enough, Danzo. Katya-chan will stay with chuunin Hatake-kun until such a time that the council deems it necessary to remove her from his care," Hiruzen said finally.

* * *

_ **5 December 49, Konoha Cemetery** _

It was a crisp, clear day when they laid Sakumo to rest. Kakashi stood angrily in the front row. His hands clenched into fists every so often as the priest spoke about the life of a 'great man,' Katya held onto Kushina's hand and burrowed her face into the young woman's hip.

A new yet familiar chakra signature appeared at the periphery of the girl's sensory zone. Katya lifted her head and cocked it to the side as another woman wandered into the small gathering. She had blonde hair and honey-colored eyes. Katya's green eyes met hers. The woman immediately started to tremble and turn white. She backed away from the small girl as though Katya were the shinigami himself.

"Who was that?" the young girl asked Kushina, tugging on the side of her skirt. The twenty year old gave her a sympathetic look before patting her head. The crowd began to disperse from the graveside when the priest was finished.

"That was Tsunade Senju. Your mother," Kushina said carefully, gauging Katya's reaction. Truth be told, the redhead missed her surrogate sister terribly. She understood the other woman's reasons for leaving. If she were to lose Minato, she would probably request to do the same.

"Oh. She's not my kaa-chan, though."

"Well, technically-"

"You're my kaa-chan. You act like my kaa-chan… I wish you were…"

Kushina knelt down on one knee and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "You can call me kaa-chan, love-bug. I'd be honored." She placed a soft kiss on Katya's forehead before lifting her on her hip and walking away.

* * *

"Ojii-chan, what does it mean to die?" Shisui asked Kagami as they walked away from the Konoha cemetery.

"It means that a person's body has had enough and their spirit wants to move on from this world," Kagami answered gently. They did not attend Sakumo's funeral even though he had wanted to. His kouhai should not have taken his own life. Kagami did not understand why the man would leave behind his son and ward. Nevertheless, he brought Shisui here to pay their respects after the other visitors had left.

"Well, what's gonna happen to Kat? Can she live with us?"

"No. She's going to live with Uzumaki-san. They are old allies of her clan."

"The Senju Clan?"

"Yes, Shisui-chan."

"Woah. Weren't they our enemies for a long time?"

"Before Konoha was founded. They are our allies now… or were…"

"What'd you mean were?"

"Aren't you precocious today. There are only two surviving Senju. Katya-chan is the Shodaime's great-granddaughter."

"Oh. So she's like famous?"

"I hope not… I really hope not…" Kagami whispered to himself.

* * *

AN: **Thank you so much for reading! **Please leave a review, I try to reply as soon as I get them. :) If you liked this fic be sure to hit bookmark to have update alerts!

Okay, I know this was a short one. Next chapter will be the academy and then the story will really start rolling into some action after that. ;)

* * *

**Preview of Chapter 19:**

_The man swooped in and kissed the woman deeply with gentle hands on her waist and the back of her head. In response the woman held onto the front of his shirt tightly and gasped when they pulled apart. The man smiled back at her then caressed the side of her face before turning to leave. "Stay warm today, sweetheart. It's going to be icy later."_

_Shisui could almost swear that the man looked like his grandfather, but not quite. The man faded from view as he walked away while the woman put her back towards the counter and touched her lips with a smile. There was something so familiar about the green eyes. He felt like he knew who this was but could not recall who._

* * *

Uh-oh, what's happening with Shisui's memories? o.O I hope to have Chapter 19 finished and ready for Cherry by Wednesday; but I received some really bad IRL news regarding my career this week. It's taking quite a bit of time to fix it. So we'll see how much gets done. I hope you all enjoy reading it. :D

Posted: 29 May 2020


	19. The Academy

Chapter 19 Beta'ed by: CherryBerry12

**Trigger Warning: Implied domestic violence.**

* * *

_ **28 February 51, Shisui's Home** _

Shisui sat at the family table and gave the appropriate thanks to the kami before digging into his breakfast. His mother smiled at him and kissed his head as she walked past. He secretly prayed that his father would leave for work rather than join them that morning. It would be a blessing. The heavy footsteps in the hallway made his heart sink when they stopped behind him.

"Son, you will bring honor to the Uchiha name while in the academy. Or you will regret it." The man placed a heavy hand and squeezed Shisui's shoulder. The five year old boy narrowly avoided flinching. His father walked over before nodding curtly at his mother who backed away slightly. "Wife."

"Have a good day, shujin-sama," she replied dutifully with downcast eyes. The man grunted in reply before walking outside. She exhaled in relief and put a hand on the kitchen counter to steady herself. When Shisui blinked, he wasn't looking at the same kitchen.

* * *

_"I love you so much," a dark curly-haired man told a petite blonde. The couple stood with their backs facing young Shisui. He could clearly see the Uchiha crest on the man's shirt._

_The man swooped in and kissed the woman deeply with gentle hands on her waist and the back of her head. In response, the woman held onto the front of his shirt tightly and gasped when they pulled apart. The man smiled back at her then caressed the side of her face before turning to leave. "Stay warm today, sweetheart. It's going to be icy later."_

_Shisui could almost swear that the man looked like his grandfather, but not quite. The man faded from view as he walked away while the woman put her back towards the counter and touched her lips with a smile. There was something so familiar about the green eyes. He felt like he knew who she was but could not recall who._

* * *

The vision faded. Shisui shook his head and turned his attention back to his breakfast. He needed to focus. Today was the entrance exam for the academy and ojii-san would not be here to soften the blow if he did poorly.

* * *

_ **28 February 51, Training Field Three** _

The ground was thick with mud and squished under Katya's new shoes much to her chagrin as she stretched with Team Minato. Today she would complete the entrance exam for the academy. Before that, however, Tou-chan wanted her to complete morning exercises with his team. It had been two years since Minato and Kushina had taken her and Kakashi in. Minato had almost immediately said she could call him tou-chan when he heard that she was calling Kushina kaa-chan. It felt natural. They were her parents. Even Sakumo, as lovely as he had been as a guardian, had tended to keep her at a slight distance. When she asked Kushina, she had guessed that it was out of respect for her father, Dan Kato.

Kushina then went on to reassure Katya that Dan and Tsunade wanted her to have a family. Katya knew that she was very lucky. She always felt loved. Even after Sakumo's passing, she still had family. Kakashi was her brother in all but name. Kushina was her Kaa-chan. Minato was surely her tou-chan, if not her papa. For some reason, she always reserved that label for Dan Kato. It felt natural to call him that when she visited his grave with kaa-chan. Her absentee mother was just that. Mother. Katya did not feel resentment towards the other Senju. It was difficult to when her family was always there.

"Come on, Kit-Kat! I'm still faster than you!" Obito goaded.

"I don't want to get my new shoes muddier! They're cute!" the little girl shouted back.

"Well, I guess we could go to the trees." The older boy stopped and put a finger on his chin.

"YES! Obito-nii, you're the best!"

"Obito! You know she doesn't have that much chakra to be running through the trees with you," Rin scolded after overhearing their conversation.

"Ah, Rin-nee. Come on, I can handle it!"

"I think you're done for the morning anyway, love-bug," Minato said with a smile. "Would you like me to walk you to the academy?"

"Really?" Katya beamed at him. They walked towards the academy. When they approached the gate that led to the building, Minato stopped and got down on one knee in front of her. He pulled her close before whispering in her ear.

"Ne, Kit-Kat, I need you to remember not to show anyone your mokuton. Okay?"

"Of course, tou-chan. I remember."

* * *

_ **1 March 51, Uzumaki-Namikaze Residence** _

Katya jumped out of bed in excitement and raced through her morning routine. She had been looking forward to the first day of school for some time and it was finally here. She slipped on the pink short-alls that Kakashi had begrudgingly bought her the day before. Katya had thought the pugs and flowers embroidered on the hem were cute. The t-shirt she was wearing underneath was a simple forest green that Kushina had painstakingly embroidered with the Senju crest. After scarfing down her breakfast, she grabbed the bento that was sitting on the counter and ran towards the academy.

Katya barely heard the Hokage's speech about responsibility and the Will of Fire. She was too focused on her old friend standing in the front row. It had been a couple of years since she had seen Shisui, but she had never forgotten him. The thought of spending time with him again made her feel giddy and almost overcame her natural shyness. Shisui turned and looked towards her and quirked his head as if he were trying to remember where he'd seen her. She smiled back at him shyly. His eyes widened as his memory caught up and he quickly turned towards the Hokage with reddened cheeks.

The atmosphere was jovial as one hundred students filed into their new classroom. By the end of five years at this academy they would only graduate with twenty. Shisui grinned as he hopped into the seat next to Katya before throwing his arms around her and giving her a bear hug.

"I missed you," he whispered.

"Me too. I'm so happy you remembered me."

"You're my friend. I'd never forget."

When lunch came around, the pair dashed out of the building and headed up towards their favorite tree. They settled underneath its shade and began to unpack their lunches. Katya smiled when she saw that her uncle had somehow placed her favorite candies in the bento box. She assumed that he must have found it in the hallway on his way to the Hokage's office.

"Oh cool! You got candy?" Shisui exclaimed.

"Yeah, do you want one? They're strawberry flavored." The blonde girl handed over one of the wrapped confections to her friend who immediately popped it into his mouth. It wasn't more than a few minutes later when he started hyperventilating. Katya panicked and screamed for a teacher. They immediately took Shisui to the hospital. She began to tear up by the time Kakashi was called to pick her up for poisoning another student.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I just gave him one of Rochi-oji's candies. I didn't know he was allergic!" she cried.

"These candies?"

"Yeah…"

Kakashi began to smell then and pulled back with a shocked look on his face. "These are poisoned, Kit-Kat. Are you sure these are what Orochimaru-sama has been giving you?"

"Yeah… I had some too, and I was fine. I mean, sometimes my tummy hurts when he gives me a new flavor. But they usually taste pretty good…"

"We need to bring these to Minato-sensei."

Later that day, an enraged Minato was heard screaming at Orochimaru for poisoning 'his precious little girl.' Orochimaru defended himself by claiming it was poison resistance training. Shisui Uchiha was fine by the next day and forgave his friend. However, he was more cautious about sharing food with her.

* * *

_ **19 October 51, Konoha Academy** _

"Happy Birthday!" Katya said excitedly as Shisui took his seat. He startled next to her in surprise. She scooted over a poorly wrapped present towards his side of their shared desk. They had been moved up two grades together and decided to stay together, no matter what. Shisui looked surprised to see the object in front of him as he looked at his blonde friend with a fond expression. Afterall, she was the only one to mention his birthday that morning.

"You didn't have to get me anything, Kat."

"Oh, but I wanted to. It's just something I found; it's nothing big," she said with a gentle smile as he placed it in his bag to unwrap later. There would be a time, fourteen years from this day, when she would admit to spending days thinking of the perfect gift. But she would never admit to it willingly.

Later that day, he locked his bedroom door when he was alone. Beneath the small bouquet of violets and daisies that she had tucked inside the package was a small twig infused with chakra. It stood up on two legs and blinked at him, the daisy on its head gave a slight bow before it hopped out of the package completely.

"Are you a summons?" Shisui asked the small creature. It shook its head 'no' before grabbing a pencil from Shisui's backpack and writing in an open notebook on his desk.

'Chakra construct, Katya-san's.'

"Oh. So… how do you work? And what's your name, I guess?"

'Itsuki. On chakra. I am helpful. Cannot say more.'

"I believe you. Thank you for joining me." Shisui smiled at the creature before it walked up his arm to sit on his shoulder. "You should hide if you see my father." The creature nodded in understanding.

The next day in class Shisui hugged his friend unexpectedly, causing her to quirk her eyebrow at him.

"Did you like him?"

"Yeah. How'd you make him?"

"Oh… well I can't tell you much other than I used some jutsu and kaa-chan made a seal for me. The seal's what's converting your chakra to energy for him to use."

"Thank you. He's brilliant." Katya beamed at him in response before straightening her pencil bag on the desk.

* * *

_ **28 February 53, Konoha Academy** _

Another year passed much the same as the last. Shisui and Katya had lunch together everyday in the boughs of their tree. They had clandestine meetings on the weekend. Katya remained firmly in first place for class academics while Shisui remained first for hand-to-hand combat. The day soon came when they were told they would take the exit exam for the academy.

Katya continued to hide her mokuton ability from everyone except her close family members. She felt guilty for keeping it a secret from Shisui. It felt as though every time they did hand-to-hand combat she danced around her opponent, refusing to hit them. For this reason, she was placed at the bottom of the class rankings in taijutsu. Her best friend just gave her a good natured smile and patted her shoulder before defeating his own opponents in less than a second. Two years did not seem like that much time in the academy to the pair. Both of them prayed that they would end up on a genin team together, even though it seemed unlikely to happen.

Shisui had asked his small companion, Itsuki, to help him cheat on his exam a few months prior. The small stick creature gave him an unimpressed glare, reminding him of Katya, before bouncing off of his head and sitting on the ledge of the desk. Shisui gave it a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head before setting to his task.

The exit exam that Katya and Shisui took was a pared-down version of previous years. To date, the Konoha forces had lost half of the genin corps to the war effort. As a result, the village was desperate to recoup those numbers. Shisui's father had returned from the frontlines missing a leg and bedridden. Unfortunately, his vitriol only increased. On days when school was out, the boy's only respite was his grandfather. He enjoyed the calm that the man radiated.

After the final exam, Shisui and Katya parted ways. He headed to his grandfather's home, keen to avoid his parents. Kagami's home was quiet as Shisui approached. His grandmother's flower beds swayed in the breeze and the maple tree's limbs creaked in response.

'Shisui-san… they do not have good news,' Itsuki tapped in morse-code from inside Shisui's collar.

"What are they saying?"

'Perhaps you should head to your cousin's apartment…'

"Itsuki. Tell me what they're saying," the seven year old's voice pitched in panic. The stick creature refused to answer. Instead, he shook his head empathetically as Shisui raced into the house. The back door was open. Normally, the peaceful scene of the Nakano flowing behind the house calmed Shisui. There was a trail of blood that led from the engawa to the river bank. Kagami's body lay halfway in the water with a slit on his neck. For Shisui his entire world turned red as he screamed in horror. As chance would have it, the clan heir, Fugaku, came running towards the sound before stopping short.

"Kagami-sama," Fugaku said breathlessly. "Shisui-kun, you need to clear the chakra paths from your eyes back down to your tenketsu or you will die from exhaustion."

"Ojii-chan…" Shisui sniffled before dutifully obeying his clan heir.

"You have activated your sharingan. It is the pride of our clan. It brings joy to the clan when one of its own excels."

"Hai, Fugaku-sama." Shisui looked towards the ground and backed away as other kinsmen swarmed the area. Inside his shirt Itsuki nuzzled his shoulder sympathetically. The last place that he wanted to go right now was home. He turned and went to the only place left where he felt at peace.

As he ran to the tree he saw Katya perched in its boughs. Without turning, she greeted him, "I felt your chakra become distressed. Are you okay?"

"No… I'm not." The small girl pulled him into a hug around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry about your grandfather," she whispered.

"Do you… do you know when it happened?"

"Yeah, about thirty minutes before you got there, roughly. I wasn't paying close attention to his signature at the time until it was gone, though. I told tou-chan; I think he's telling Hokage-sama right now."

"Okay."

"Ya know, you can spend the night if you want to. Kaa-chan won't mind."

"Okay."

"It's okay to be sad…" Katya squeezed him tighter. "I was able to control the plants and trees after Sakumo-oji died. I'm not supposed to tell anyone though. It made me really sad. All of the adults will act like unlocking your kekkei genkei is amazing, but it's not. Kaa-chan told me that it's through our pain we become stronger."

"He didn't have any eyes… Kat. Somebody stole grandfather's eyes…"

* * *

"You are not able to chase her. She is gone." A young teenager with long dark hair held a young man's shoulders as he fell apart with wretched sobs. It was the same man Shisui had been seeing in his visions. He had dark curly hair and his grandfather's eyes. Dried blood trailed in thin lines from his eyes down the sides of his cheeks.

"Why? Why did she do it?" The young man's eyes squeezed shut from over his younger friend's shoulder.

"I suppose it's because she loved you."

* * *

_ **28 February 53; ANBU Headquarters, R&D Department; Orochimaru** _

Orochimaru smirked as he opened the test report that was printed for Katya Senju.

* * *

**Katya Senju; Age 7; Promote to Genin**

**DOB:** 10 January 47

**Testing Date:** 28 February 53

**Ninjutsu:** 2.5

**Taijutsu:** 1

**Genjutsu:** 2

**Intelligence:** 5

**Strength:** 2.5

**Speed:** 4

**Stamina:** 2

**Hand Seals:** 3

**Total:** 22

**Comprehension Test Score:** 100/100

**Taijutsu Test Score:** 30/100

**Mastered Academy Three: _Yes_**/No

**Proctor's Notes:** Katya Senju displays a remarkable lack of initiative in taijutsu bouts. She focuses too much on defensive maneuvers. Her speed is her main attribute and is the only reason she was able to pass at all. She has the highest final test score that the academy has ever seen, topping that of Minato Namikaze, her assumed guardian. Katya Senju is reported as very shy and soft spoken with very few friends. Katya is immune to most common poisons, as attested to by the sannin, Orochimaru. Her instructor strongly recommends that she is placed on a tracking and defense team with her good friend and fellow graduate, Shisui Uchiha.

* * *

Orochimaru's smirk quickly turned into a frown as he tapped the taijutsu score repeatedly. "Katya, Katya, tsk tsk." The door to the laboratory opened and Orochimaru lifted his head as he heard the tapping of a cane cross the floor.

"Thought I might find you here," Danzo said. "I have a task for you. In return for its completion I will see to it that your lab is fully funded through the next year."

"I see. And if I should refuse?" Orochimaru rasped.

"I will out your experiments as unethical."

"What is the task?" The corners of the snake sannin's mouth tightened. It was far too soon for him to end his relationship with the ROOT leader. He had only begun to collect hard evidence on the man.

"I need you to implant these." Danzo threw a sample jar towards Orochimaru.

"I see."

* * *

**AN:** Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a review, I try to reply as soon as I get them. :) If you liked this fic be sure to hit follow to have update alerts!

Pa, dober dan svima. The next chapter is going to be their genin team. And there will be plenty of action. ;) I'm kind of excited to get back to what I love writing (romance and fluff).

Violets mean loyalty, devotion. Daisies are for everlasting friendship. :)


	20. Fresh Genin

Chapter 20 Beta'ed by: [Cherryberry12](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherryberry12/profile)

* * *

** _2 March 53; ANBU Headquarters, R&D Department; Katya Senju_ **

The room echoed with the squeak of the rolling chair as Katya hopped on it and took off across the sterilized tile floor of Orochimaru’s lab. She spun the chair in circles, faster and faster until it suddenly stopped. She giggled as her head continued to spin. The metal on her forehead was pushed back against her by a long white finger when she looked up into her uncle’s face. He looked tired and had his back against a nearby lab table before he crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Are you okay, oji-chan?”

“I am fine, child. What does concern me, however, is this.” Orochimaru slapped a piece of paper on the cold stone and raised an eyebrow towards the new genin. Katya blushed when she saw her taijutsu score. “I am very disappointed in you, child.”

“I’m sorry oji-chan. I don’t like hurting people…”

“You’re a kunoichi, Katya-chan. You do not have a choice in this matter. To not fight back is a weakness. Your enemies would take advantage of this.”

“I don’t want any enemies, though! I don’t want to hurt anybody… I don’t want to make anyone my enemy…”

“The Senju clan has made many enemies throughout the centuries… blood feuds last lifetimes. To survive, you must fight.”

“No! Oji-chan, have you heard the story about the man and the wolves?”

Orochimaru sighed, it wasn’t the first time that Katya had tried to change topics with an anecdotal story. He gave a small indulgent tilt of his head for her to continue. 

“A traveling monk once entered a town and was sieged--** _be_ **sieged--by the sound of wails. He looked at the guardsmen at the entrance and asked who grieves. The guardsman returned his look with a distraught one of his own before replying that there was a lone wolf about. The wolf had recently slain three villagers, a child, a man, and one woman. The monk was saddened by this as he was a great lover of all creatures; he firmly believed that every creature was valued by God.” The story sounded well-rehearsed, likely the product of being heard frequently. Orochimaru wondered just who would be telling a child of a shinobi clan such a tale.

“Not gods?”

“No, just one God, as I heard the story told.”

“I see. Pray, continue.” 

“The monk decided to search for the wolf and eventually came upon the wolf’s den. After knocking at the entrance he hailed the wolf. He lavished him with genuine praise, stating that the wolf was cunning indeed for having snuck into the village. He then asked the wolf to tell him his motives. The wolf then simply replied that he and his four cubs were starving. He was angry that the villagers had killed the she-wolf, the mother of his cubs. 

“The villagers, upon growing as a village and inviting others from the large towns to join them, had scared off all of the local prey or eaten them. The wolf was leved--no, livid--that some of the prey they had killed they had not even eaten and simply slain for their coats. He had been attacking the villagers both out of hunger and his own sense of justice. The child he killed out of retribution, to make up for the cub that died from hunger. The man was killed to feed his own cubs. The woman, because she had tried to burn down his den. 

“Upon listening to the wolf’s tale of woo--woe--, he came to the conclusion that the wolf’s problems might be solved with timely intervention and negotiation. After all, he could not bear for one of God’s creatures to be destroyed. So, instead of simply killing the wolf and ending his miseries and that of his cubs’, he asked the wolf to simply wait one day before taking another life. The wolf nodded and the monk quickly returned to the village. 

He asked the villagers if they would be willing to give the wolf food, in exchange for his protection of the villagers and their village. The monk prayed to his god, who agreed that should the wolf not uphold his end of the bargain, he would die on the spot. If the villagers did not uphold their end, the wolf was then free to ravage and lay waste to the small village. The villagers readily agreed, and the monk took this offering to the wolf. The wolf raised his brows, but agreed as well. He did not believe that the villagers would honor the contract, but felt as though he had nothing to lose. 

Thus, began an age of peace between the wolf and the villagers. The wolf protected the villagers from many foes, bears, enemy soldiers, etc… He even went so far as to protect their chickens from the occasional opportunistic fox. After his death, his cubs continued his work protecting the village. All the while, the villagers honored the contract and left daily offerings of salted pork, chicken, game, and wild fowl on the outskirts of their settlement. 

“So, you see, Oji-chan, violence does not solve violence. Steadfast negotiation, empathy and a mutual laying down of arms does. That will bring peace.”

“It sounds like a marvelous dream. However, we do not live in that reality. Who told you such a story?”

Katya bounced her fingers off of the others and looked at her hands. Her foot shuffled on the tiles as Orochimaru repeated his question. “I call him papa… He feels like ‘papa’ in any case… His eyes look like mine. I’ve seen pictures of him before, at Sakumo-oji’s house. He was in the Hatake family album. He has white-blue hair too.”

“Interesting. I believe you are dreaming of your father, Dan Kato. Though, why, in your dreams, he would tell you such a thing, I don’t know.” Orochimaru frowned as he suddenly recalled a memory. The odd summons that he had stationed outside of the Senju compound before Tsunade had given birth had told him a fantastical tale. The summons was new to him and he had dismissed the report as nervousness from being in the human world. Of course, after that incident he had not thought to summon the snake again. 

_ “Tssunade-hime requiresss your immediate assisstanccce. There wassss a phantom hovering just outssside the housse, Orochimaru-sama. It sssat in the shadowsss. Itsss sssorrow was palpable, even to one sssuch asss I. It wasss able to communicate with me.” _

The snake-sannin rubbed his forefinger and thumb along his chin in thought, _ ‘Perhaps I should not have dismissed the report off-hand…’ _He shook his head and turned his attention once more to Katya who was shuffling her toes along a crack in the tile floor. Her normal bedazzled overall shorts had already been traded out for a more practical shinobi cargo capri in a forest green color. The genin had wrapped bandages around the bottom and tucked the ends into her high-top sandals. He inwardly smiled at the improvement. 

“Katya, if you do not wish to harm others, then you must try to be assigned a genin team. If you are not assigned to a genin team, you will be reassigned to the genin corps. It would be wasteful. With your current taijutsu score, however, that is exactly where you have been assigned. Therefore, your guardian and I have petitioned Hokage-sama to retest you. Your guardian will spar with you as though it were real no-holds barred combat.”

“Tou-chan… agreed to that?”

“No, your guardian did.”

“Kakashi?!”

“Yes.”

“But he’s all about the rules! He’s going to kill me! You can’t let him do this, Oji-chan! You just can’t!” Katya wailed. 

“The other option is to face myself in open combat. And believe me, Katya, I will not hold back.” Orochimaru gave her a hard stare as the girl dropped her eyes to the floor. 

“I understand. Thank you for warning me, oji-chan. When?”

“Tomorrow morning. Oh, and your counterpart may not attend. Your instructor has reported that he interferes with your fights more often than not.” 

Katya’s shoulders drooped as she shuffled out of the room before stopping in the doorway. “Ne, oji-chan, thank you for the chance. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow, Katya-chan. I expect that the Hokage and his advisors will be there. You will perform well.” 

* * *

Minato shuffled into Katya’s room before shaking the girl awake. She woke up and took stock of her surroundings before nodding her head and giving him a resigned look. Kakashi had not once looked her in the eye the night before. Instead, he casually quoted the shinobi rules outside of her bedroom door as she changed into her pajamas. He kept reiterating, “A shinobi does not stop fighting until they are dead.” Katya thought that it was a rather foreboding thing to say the night before their spar. In the last seven years, Kakashi had of course sparred with her. But he always held back. Today would be different and Katya shivered in apprehension. Her brother was too focused on rules to even consider holding back. 

* * *

Shisui woke with a jerk after Itsuki jumped on his shoulder incessantly. The small figure kept tapping out, ‘Katya trouble, Katya trouble!’ The seven-year-old Uchiha immediately jumped up and grabbed his gear. He ran out of his house. As he passed the dango stand, he saw his elder cousin, Obito. When he ran past the older boy he grabbed his wrist and pulled the chuunin along with him.

“What the...?” Obito exclaimed as he tried to keep up with the seven-year-old.

“I need your help, Obito-nii! Katya’s in trouble!” That statement grabbed his attention. Obito’s face turned serious as he picked up the pace.

Itsuki directed them to a nearby training field, here they stopped at the sight before them. Katya was backing away on all fours from Kakashi, of all people. The fear in her eyes was palpable. She was covered in cuts and had deep dark bruises already forming on her limbs.

“Nii-chan! Stop! Please!” Kakashi advanced. Shisui looked at the scene in horror without understanding. His breathing quickened and he felt his body move on its own before an arm went around his chest to stop him.

“No, Shisui-kun. This is something that has to be done.” Minato’s voice came from behind him.

“What the hell are you talking about, Sensei?! He’s going to kill Kit-Kat!” Obito was outraged and attempted to advance on the field himself. He was stopped by an elderly man holding his cane in front of him.

“You both will learn this well: a weak kunoichi is a dead kunoichi.” The man lowered his cane and leaned on it in a show of decrepitness.

Obito looked shocked before arguing again, “Are you really going to let him kill his sister? That’s who she is to him. Are you really going to let him kill your daughter? Sensei! Answer me!” Minato remained silent and squeezed Obito’s shoulder in response.

* * *

Kakashi advanced as Katya moved her bruised and cut up body away from him. He began to throw lightning jutsu at her, despite her pleas.

"You wanted to be a kunoichi. Fight me! Fight back!" Kakashi said calmly. His face remained the same as it had since Sakumo's death. In his mind, he wasn't fighting his sister. He was sparring with a weak genin candidate, one that needed to be weeded out. Later, he would reflect on this moment. The moment that he forced his sister to use violence for the first time in her life. But right now he was not an elder brother. He was a chuunin. One responsible for the lives of his subordinates, and a weak subordinate would get the others killed.

Katya tripped over a large tree root and landed flat on her back. She tried to get up and move but couldn't. Her body was exhausted. Tears streamed down her face as Kakashi looked towards the Hokage. At his leader’s nod, Kakashi held back his own tears and molded his chakra into his new jutsu: chidori.

"Nii-chan... please..." she whispered, on the edge of consciousness. The moment that Kakashi leapt to deal a disabling blow, roots sprang from the ground and held him in the air. His eyes went wide with shock. In the last three years since Katya had awakened her mokuton, she had never been able to do more than produce sticks. The vines twisted his arms behind him, preventing him from molding his chakra. The roots brought him back to the ground and began to drag him into the earth before Katya completely lost consciousness.

"That'll do, Kakashi-kun. She can be allowed on a genin team," the Sandaime said kindly as though the last hour had not happened.

"She won't be placed in the genin corps, then?" Minato asked.

"No, that would be a waste of resources." The older man waved off his concern. 

Minato knew that the genin corps was little more than jutsu fodder and in a time of war he did not want the girl he had practically raised from birth to be in it. Truthfully, he and the other adults in her life did not believe she should have been a kunoichi at all. She was simply too pacifistic. But with her last name, 'Senju,' she had little choice in the matter. The Yellow Flash released the two boys. Shisui went straight for his best friend while Obito went for his rival. The younger boy barely registered his cousin’s enraged shouting as he took in the deep cuts and black bruises on Katya's body. Giving the adults on the field a veiled look of contempt, he took one of her arms over his shoulder and leaped away to their secret spot.

He settled the small girl against the base of a tree and took out his canteen and a cloth from his pack.

"Kat?" he asked gently, wiping one of the cuts on her cheeks. "Kat?" The young girl began to open her eyes slowly.

_ The young woman with blonde hair huddled against the base of a tree, her hands on her ears. Her mouth was moving rapidly to an empty audience. ‘No, no, no…’ A feeling of sadness began to overwhelm Shisui as he saw the brown-haired young man enter the scene. He crouched in front of the woman, careful not to touch her. ‘Safe, you’re safe…’ the thought rang desperately throughout Shisui’s mind as his own spirit seemed to call out to them. _

Shisui shook his head to dislodge the vision. The strangest things had been happening to his head lately and he wasn't sure what was going on.

"'Sui? Are you okay?" He huffed in response and put his arms around her shoulders.

"I should be asking you that."

"Why did they do that?"

Shisui sighed, "Kakashi didn't want you to go to the genin corps. I guess it was his own backwards way of protecting you. They gave him the option of testing you or allowing some other chuunin to do it. He was worried that another chuunin would be too lenient and you’d be sent to the corps."

"Lenient… he tried to kill me… How'd you find all this out?" Katya tiredly lolled her head to his shoulder.

"He wasn’t going to kill you, just permanently disable you enough so that you wouldn’t be able to be a kunoichi. Think of it as an act of mercy. Itsuki stayed behind... Your kekkei genkei has been outed, by the way," Shisui stated numbly.

"Oh, I remember now… I spoke with Orochimaru-oji yesterday about it. Act of mercy..."

* * *

Katya groaned as Shisui helped her hobble home. Kushina was out the front door and flying towards them the moment they came into view from the kitchen window.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, kaa-chan. Honestly."

Later that evening, Minato ducked his head sheepishly when he came in through the front door and took his shoes off as quietly as he could. He looked into the living room and was surprised to see Katya fast asleep underneath a throw blanket. Running his fingers through his hair, he sighed and leaned against the wall. His mind flashed through memories of her: taking her to her first day at the academy, celebrating her birthday, braiding her hair into pigtails. Heck, he even remembered buying special ribbons for her hair when he was on an ANBU mission.

Kushina appeared from the hallway and gave him a cold glare before turning her back and walking to their bedroom. Minato dropped his head and followed her. This was going to be a very long evening for him.

* * *

** _2 March 53; Konohagakure Ninja Academy_ **

Shisui took his seat and straightened his hitai-ate. He traced the long embedded scratches on the wood table with his fingertips. It wasn’t long before his desk partner arrived and took her place beside him. The class was smaller today than it had been on the day of graduation. The rumor was that half of their classmates were shuffled into the genin corps. Shisui shuddered slightly. To be in the genin corps was a death sentence, everyone knew that. His eyes moved to his left and he shook his head, well almost everyone. 

The blonde smiled at him and pulled his warm hand into her own. He chuckled slightly and topped her fingers with his other. She was always cold. Even in the height of summer. Of course, this week had been extremely stressful for the both of them. With the death of his grandfather he had felt absolutely alone. Katya was now his sole anchor in this world. Without her, he would have volunteered to join the genin corps, just so they could send him far away from his family and clan, possibly forever. As his fingers curled over the top of hers, his mind resolved to protect his anchor. No matter what.

“Ya know, Shisui, I have a good feeling about this.”

“Oh yeah?”

Katya turned and gave him a full smile that created butterflies in the seven year old’s stomach. “Yeah. This is the start of something beautiful.” Shisui quickly faced the front of the class when he felt his cheeks begin to warm. He let out a breath he had been holding when their professor opened the door. 

“Senju, Katya. Team Eight.” Katya nodded and went back to day-dreaming before she heard her best friend’s name. “Uchiha, Shisui… why the heck is this smudged…” The seven-year-old genin held their breath, “Team eight. Congratulations, you two may stay conjoined at the hip.” Katya jumped out her seat and manhandled Shisui into a massive bear hug before retaking her spot. 

It wasn’t long after that when a ninken entered the room. He was extremely large, almost the size of a miniature pony. The top of his fur was gray and the bottom white. His soulful eyes contained a hardness that only came from battle. Katya had remembered seeing this ninken on occasion in the Uzumaki household. She tried to search her memories for the woman’s name, but it kept alluding her. She was able to recall that the woman had a four year old daughter named Hana. The little girl was sweet and tough, with a laugh that made everyone want to join into her revelry. 

“You two!” The dog nodded at Shisui and Katya, “You pups follow me. My name is Kuromaru,” he said gruffly as he loped down the hall. 

“Surely you’re not our sensei,” Shisui asked with an air of forced politeness.

“No. Your sensei is training your third teammate at the training fields. I hope you both are hardier than the last two. They fell in battle.” The two seven year olds audibly gasped and looked towards each other in horror. The grip they had on their hands tightened. The ninken smiled to himself. It would be a long time before Kuromaru admitted that the previous two genin on this team had been promoted. One worked in the hospital as a medic while the other reveled in being a paper ninja. 

* * *

  
**AN: Thank you so much for reading!** Please leave a comment or review if you have the time! I know it’s been a little bit since the last update. I’ve been working on writing other fics in the meantime. Feel free to read up on them! If you especially like smut and other NSFW 18+ content, check out my Ao3 (Archive of Our Own) page at katydid001. ;)


End file.
